True Strength
by 5th Dimension
Summary: The world of Pokémon is very dangerous. The crime lords known as Gym Leaders have created a stranglehold over Johto. It is up to one girl to stop them. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1: Errand Girl

**This is a story set in the game world.**

**I would like to thank avrilkesha92 for the inspiration for this.**

**Many thanks to An Unknown girl from Johto for betareading this.**

**I do not own any aspect of Pokémon.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 1: Errand Girl<span>

Gold woke up, yawning widely. She looked around her room, still drowsy. _What was I doing?_

She got out of bed and looked around for clothes. Her room tended to be messy, and as a direct result, her clothes were usually hard to find. Looking under the bed, she noticed a box. _Oh. That's what I was doing._

Gold was fourteen. She had dark black hair and gray eyes. She was generally thought to be a tomboy, although she resented this label.

She loved being a girl. Her body just wouldn't get with the program.

She pulled out the box and opened it up. The world of Pokémon was incredibly dangerous. Corrupt people were everywhere. Rapists, murderers, thieves… Pokémon made it too easy to commit evil.

Professor Elm said that he had a job for her yesterday. This would involve walking out into the world. The world was very dangerous for a girl… so Gold had a great idea. She would use her body's form to her advantage.

She would become a boy.

She pulled on black shorts, a black undershirt and a red sweater that were in the box. Picking up a gold and black hat, she placed it backwards on her head. Hefting a gray backpack filled with manga, she walked down the stairs to the first floor.

Her mom noticed her and turned from the TV. "Good morning, sleepyhead. I swear, you could sleep through an earthquake. Crystal was just here looking for you, and you were asleep. Something about a job for Professor Elm? Wait… Gold, what are you wearing?"

Gold shrugged. "Clothes."

Her mom nodded. "Of course. But why those clothes? You look like a boy."

Gold laughed. "Really, mom? That's good."

Her mom looked confused, but dropped the subject. "Anyways, you left your Trainer Card sitting around again." She handed it over. "My daughter, the tornado. Only you could leave your stuff in so many places."

Gold smiled. "Don't worry about it, mom. Anyways, Elm said he had an errand for me, so I might not be back for awhile."

"Okay. Make sure to say bye to your sister."

Gold turned to the stairs and yelled. "Bye, Lyra!"

Lyra's voice was heard from upstairs. "Bye, Gold! See you later alligator!"

Gold frowned and walked out the door. Not that she didn't love her sister, but Lyra was very annoying sometimes.

* * *

><p>She shivered as she headed towards the lab. New Bark Town was very cold, what with the constant wind. She passed a woman who was raking leaves. "I like your bag!"<p>

Gold smiled. "Thanks!" she said in a high, cheerful voice.

The woman frowned and turned away. Gold cursed herself. _That was such a girly reaction. I need to do better if my disguise is to work._

Heading to the door, she stopped. A red-haired boy was peering through the lab window. Sneaking carefully behind him, she tapped his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

The boy stirred. "Don't touch me. What are you looking at?"

He pushed her. Gold's eyes glinted with fury.

Now, the entire town knows not to make Gold angry. She was relentless and unstoppable. She would crush you before you could even say sorry.

She grabbed the boy's shirt and lifted him off the ground. "You wanna take that back?"

The boy calmly reached around and grabbed the meat of her hand, forcing her to drop him. He then twisted her arm around her back and led her away. When he let her go, he walked back to the window and continued to peer inside.

She rubbed her arm. "Jerk," she muttered, pushing the door open.

* * *

><p>Walking forwards, she spotted the professor. "Hey, Professor Elm, there's a strange boy…"<p>

He interrupted her. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

Gold nodded. "It's me, Professor. It's Gold."

The professor blinked. "Oh, hi, Gold! I've been waiting for you!"

Gold was about to tell him about the red-haired boy, but Professor Elm interrupted again. "I have something I want you to do. I have this friend… really, more of an acquaintance, who (somewhat arrogantly, I suppose) calls himself Mr. Pokémon. He keeps finding odd things here and there. He's e-mailed me to say that he found something important… it's probably just another Pokémon egg. I don't really have time for it, so I want you to go get it.

"To this end, I'm going to give you a Pokémon."

Gold perked up. "Really, a Pokémon? You'd trust me with that kind of power?"

Professor Elm shrugged. "Of course. I've known you since you were three. Although, I think I missed this cross-dressing phase."

Gold laughed. "This is just for when I'm out of town. You know, bandits and rapists and all."

Elm's eyes brightened with understanding. "Oh. Anyways, I'm going to give you a Pokémon, but I'm not going to give you a Pokéball for it."

Gold frowned. "Why not?"

The professor looked guilty. "Well… I had an idea about Pokémon just walking around with their trainers, and I thought it would be good to… experiment."

Gold was incredulous. "Really. You're going to use me for an experiment?"

Elm nodded. "Just once!"

The black-haired girl shrugged. "Okay. Might as well get it over with."

Professor Elm gestured to three Pokéballs that had screens over them. The screens depicted the Pokémon inside of them. "Totodile, Cyndaquil, and Chikorita. Just choose one. Once you release it, it's yours."

Gold nodded and thought about it. _I don't have all that much to base my decision on. Just how they look. _She examined the Totodile's image. _Ugh. No thought in that gaze at all. Probably just a dumb bodyguard._

She checked the green one, Chikorita. _It's cute. Its grin shows that it could be friendly. However, it wouldn't protect me, from the looks of it. It'd probably get knocked out on the first punch._

The final one, however, attracted her gaze. _Look at the spirit of this one. Fire billowing out of its back, and a serious yet devious look. I like it!_ She reached over and pressed the button. Cyndaquil popped out. It shot flames out, burning a small shelf behind it. Gold was impressed. _It's so intimidating. I love it!_

Professor Elm grinned. "Nice choice. Do you want to give it a nickname?"

Gold thought about it. "So… Cyndaquil. Hmm…" Her mom's voice echoed in her head. _My daughter, the tornado._

Gold laughed. Fire plus tornado? "How about Firestorm?"

The Cyndquil nodded, obviously pleased. "Firestorm it is!"

Gold walked back to the professor with the Fire Mouse Pokémon following along. Elm studied them. "So… is walking with him okay? How does it feel?"

Gold gave him an odd look. "Professor, I just walked five feet. I won't know anything about this experiment of yours until I accomplish your little task."

Professor Elm nodded. "Oh, then do go on. Mr. Pokémon's house is past Cherrygrove City. North of it, to be specific."

Gold turned on her heel and was stopped by a lab assistant. "Gold, these might help." He handed her a box full of Potions.

Gold frowned. "What the heck am I supposed to do with these?"

The assistant smiled a really creepy smile. "If your Pokémon gets injured, these will heal him."

Gold nodded and stepped out the door, unnerved.

* * *

><p>Right outside, Gold met Crystal, her childhood friend. Crystal waved. "Gold!"<p>

Gold smiled. At least someone recognized her. "Hey, Crys!"

Crystal noticed the small Pokémon walking beside her friend. "A Cyndaquil?"

Gold nodded. "Yeah. His name's Firestorm. What are you doing here?"

Crystal pointed at the lab. "The professor said he had a job for me."

Gold laughed. "You too, huh? He's got me going to some guy's place to get 'something important.' He gave me Firestorm, so… he might give you a Pokémon, too!"

Crystal smiled. "That'd be cool. So… you're going? Hey… your mom wanted you. I checked in, looking for you, and she said she had something for you."

Gold walked past her. "Okay, Crys. I might not see you again for awhile. Bye!"

Crystal waved goodbye, walking into the lab.

* * *

><p>Gold's mom pet Firestorm on his head. "Cute!"<p>

Gold sighed as Firestorm gave his trainer a "help me" look. "Don't worry, buddy. She'll stop eventually."

Her mom looked up and held out a watch-like device. "Your Pokégear came back from the repair shop. Why don't you take better care of it this time, okay?"

Gold flushed with embarrassment as she remembered how she broke it. "Don't worry, mom. I will."

Her mom pointed at the phone button. "I already put my number on it. Remember to call me sometimes!"

* * *

><p>Gold walked past the lab again. The red-haired boy was still there. Gold's eyes narrowed. One day, she would pound that boy to a pulp.<p>

Professor Elm ran out. "Hey, Gold! I almost forgot. Here's my number!"

Gold nodded. "I'll give you a call when I get that whatever-it-is."

* * *

><p>Gold grimaced as she walked through the tall grass. <em>Ouch! Thorns!<em> She wished there was an easier way to get through this mess.

All of a sudden, a squirrely thing—a Sentret—bounced at her. She shrieked and yelled, "Firestorm! Attack it!"

She didn't expect Firestorm to tackle the small Scout Pokémon. The Sentret scratched back, but Firestorm headbutted the wild Pokémon into submission.

Another Sentret jumped at Firestorm from behind. Not willing to see the Cyndaquil get hurt, Gold ran at it and kicked it. The small furry Pokémon reminded Gold of those scary stuffed creatures that Lyra liked to keep in her room.

The Sentret went flying into a tree, where it fainted.

Gold panted. "You alright, buddy?"

Firestorm nodded. Gold looked around. "I should've known that not all Pokémon belonged to people. I'll have to be more careful."

* * *

><p>Gold twitched as she stepped out of the grass. If even <em>one more<em> Pidgey attacked her, she was going to scream.

She sighed with delight as she stepped into what looked like a nice town. It had many flowers everywhere and smelled a lot like perfume. "Ah, Cherrygrove City…"

The next instant, an old man ran into her. "Hello, boy! Help a fellow out! I can reward you pretty well!"

Gold wasn't sure how to react. "Um… uh…"

The old man grabbed her arm and pulled her to a house. "My poor Meowth is stuck up there."

Gold was incredulous. Really? This was something that she only thought happened on TV: a Meowth stuck on a roof. She turned to Firestorm. "Leer."

The Fire Mouse Pokémon gave the Meowth a look of malicious intent.

The Meowth yowled and jumped down, scared. "You saved him!"

Gold resisted the urge to yell. "Yes… I did."

The old man thrust a pair of sneakers into her arms. "Your reward! Running Shoes!"

Gold frowned. "Running Shoes? I have sneakers. I can run perfectly fine already."

The old man gave her a sly look. "Trust me, young man, you haven't run until you've run in Running Shoes."

* * *

><p>Gold understood what the old man told her now. The Running Shoes must've been special, because they made it so easy to run. Looking at her Pokégear map, she muttered to herself. "Route 30… Mr. Pokémon's house must be up ahead."<p>

She ran to a narrow opening in two hunks of rock. There were two trainers blocking the way, battling. One boy yelled out, "Go, Rattata! Tackle!"

The Rattata jumped forwards and did almost no damage to its opponents' Pidgey. Gold tapped the boy's shoulder. "Um, excuse me, you're blocking-"

The boy made a grand gesture. "What? This is a big battle! Go away!"

Gold looked at the 'big battle.' It looked like two kids having a tiny fight. Gold harrumphed. People treated her a lot worse as a boy. With that red-haired guy pushing her and this little boy yelling at her… well, she supposed that the alternative could be worse.

Following the path the other direction, she found that she could continue north. "Well, Firestorm, it seems that it was a waste of time talking to that guy."

Firestorm snorted smoke. Gold grinned. "Maybe when they're done, you can destroy his Rattata. It'd show him!"

She walked into a clearing with a single house. "Mr. Pokémon's house! No more wild Pidgey or Caterpie! Hmm… Firestorm, what do you suppose we'll do after this little errand?"

The Cyndaquil tilted his head and Gold walked inside.

The moment she stepped through the door, a man ran towards her. "You must be Gold! Elm sent me an e-mail that you'd be coming!" He ran to a shelf and pulled out an egg. "I wanted him to look at this rarity: a Pokémon egg!"

Gold pointed at him. "You're Mr. Pokémon?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. That's me."

Gold pointed at the egg. "So. Egg."

Mr. Pokémon smiled. "I know a guy in Ecruteak… Anyways, I thought Elm might be able to figure out what's inside it. He's good with evolution."

Gold didn't understand what he meant by 'evolution' and she didn't see the connection between it and the egg. "Okay…" She took the egg.

A gray-haired man showed up out of nowhere. His face was serious. A large scar ran down his cheek. "Hello, Gold. My name is Professor Oak. I'm a Pokémon researcher and a colleague of Professor Elm." He shook hands with her. "I was just visiting Mr. Pokémon. He has… many interesting items."

Gold didn't ask for clarification. She really didn't want to know. "Alright. Nice to meet you."

Professor Oak kneeled down and examined Firestorm. "Ah. A rare Pokémon… how fascinating. He seems to like you. An odd thing that doesn't happen often. Most Pokémon aren't friends with their trainers… to most, Pokémon are a means to an end. You remind me of _him_…"

Gold blinked. "Who?"

Professor Oak pulled out a small red box. "Gold, I have a request to make of you. It's not often that I find such a dependable young man. This is a Pokédex."

Gold swallowed, still uncomfortable with her guise. "And what is a Pokédex?"

Professor Oak traced the scar on his cheek with a finger. "It's a high-tech encyclopedia that automatically records data on the Pokémon that you see. My goal for the rest of my life is to see it completed. I would like you to do it for me."

Gold gulped. "You're trusting me… with your life goal?"

Professor Oak glowered. "Don't let me down, boy." He solemnly left.

Gold breathed quickly in and out. "He's rather scary."

Mr. Pokémon grinned. "A Pokédex! After so long, he hands out another?"

"What do you mean?" Gold asked.

Mr. Pokémon sat back in a chair. "A Pokédex is an incredibly rare item. Only a handful of people worldwide have them, and Professor Oak doesn't make many of them. You're holding one of less than ten Pokédexes."

Gold looked down in shock. _I'll have to be careful with this…_

* * *

><p>As she left the house, her Pokégear rang. "Hello?"<p>

It was Professor Elm. "G-Gold? It's me…" He sounded shaken.

Gold raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"It's… there was… just get back here, right away!" He hung up.

Gold stared at the phone. "What the heck?"

* * *

><p>The trip through Cherrygrove was uneventful until…<p>

The red-haired boy showed up.

Gold glared. "What are you doing here?"

The boy pointed at Firestorm. "That's the Pokémon you got from the lab. What a waste. It's much too good for a weakling like you."

Gold's temper rose. "Oh yeah?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. You're pathetic. I too have a good Pokémon, so why don't I show you what I mean?"

Gold blinked. _A battle? So soon? Okay. I've been expecting something like this ever since I left home. _"Ready, Firestorm?"

Firestorm showed his teeth to him. The boy sent out a Totodile.

Gold frowned. That Totodile looked familiar.

With mounting rage, she pointed at it. "Firestorm, attack!"

The Cyndaquil rammed the Big Jaw Pokémon, who scratched Firestorm back. Gold suddenly smiled. _That's the same tactic those Sentret used!_ Immediately confident, she shouted, "Firestorm, Leer!"

Firestorm gave the Totodile a look of such disdain that it flinched. It turned to hide, but Firestorm rammed it again.

The boy frowned. "You're doing okay… for someone weak."

Gold grinned. "Weak? Let me show you our strength!"

Firestorm ripped Totodile apart.

The boy seemed momentarily shocked, then angry. "…Do you want to know who I am? I'm going to be the world's greatest trainer."

Gold laughed. "You? You couldn't even beat me! And I am… what did you call me? Oh yeah, a weakling!"

The boy flinched at her words, then recovered. He shoved Gold aside and walked past her. As he was doing so, Gold reached into his pocket and stole his Trainer Card. "Silver, huh?"

Silver turned around and grabbed it from her. "Don't steal people's stuff, weakling!" Shoving her again, he strode into Cherrygrove.

_What a jerk! I better get to Elm… something is suspicious about that guy's Totodile._

* * *

><p>Professor Elm looked agitated, and there was a cop nearby. "Professor, what's going on?" Although she asked, Gold already knew in her heart what happened.<p>

The cop looked her up and down. "Who are you? Someone stole a Pokémon… wait… Rule Number 1: Whoever did it will come back to the site! You must be the thief!" He grabbed her.

Gold pulled away. _What? I've never heard of something more ridiculous! No wonder crime is everywhere; the cops are morons!_

She slapped the officer's hand away. "No! Was the Pokémon a Totodile?"

Elm nodded. "Yes."

Gold recounted her battle with Silver, and the cop was nodding by the end of it. "Did you happen to get his name?"

_What does that have to do with anything?_ "Silver. It was Silver."

The cop stood up, drinking some coffee. "Okay. I must search for this red-haired, uh… individual? Yeah! Individual."

He walked out, and Professor Elm shook his head in disgust. "I'm no longer surprised that there's so much crime. He was less than worthless."

Gold agreed. "Yeah. Anyways, I got the item."

She pulled out the egg, and Professor Elm leaned in close. "Okay. If you don't mind, I'll take it and study it. Only a little bit, though. I have other things to do…"

Gold shrugged. "Okay. By the way, I met someone else who said that he was a colleague of yours."

Elm raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

Gold pulled out the Pokédex. "Professor Oak. He gave me this thing."

Elm jumped back. "A… a Pokédex? It's… real? That's… amazing! Professor Oak is very good at identifying stupendous trainers! If he gave you that, his most valuable invention… he must think much of you!"

Gold blushed. "You… you really think so?"

The professor nodded. "Absolutely! And because of this… why don't you take the Gym Challenge?"

Gold frowned. "Gym Challenge?"

Elm hesitated. "There are eight extremely powerful trainers around the region of Johto. They call themselves 'Gym Leaders.' They're… they're mostly crime bosses, and they've collectively issued a challenge to all trainers. The police are powerless to take them on, but… once in a while, a trainer beats one. There used to be eleven, but three have been defeated by various people. Their stranglehold over Johto is great, but I think you'll be able to make a difference."

Gold's eyes widened. "Is crime really that big of a thing? I walked out there, and several people were rude, but I didn't notice anything that bad."

Professor Elm shuddered. "You've never been to the big cities, then. The more inland you get… the worse it gets."

Gold thought about it. _Crime is prevalent everywhere. It's the reason I'm wearing this disguise in the first place. If I defeat these people, will the crime go away? Will people be able to walk without hindrance?_ She made a decision. "I'll do just that. I'll take them all down."

Professor Elm paused. "Violet City is the closest place with a Gym. I would suggest starting there. Challenging every Gym will take a long time, so be sure to say goodbye to your mom. I'm sure she'll want to see you one last time."

* * *

><p>Her mom took it remarkably well. "Okay. Go out and get them. Maybe you'll use some of that tornado power to do some good."<p>

Gold laughed and hugged her mom. "Try not to worry too much, okay? I know it'll be dangerous, but I'm going to win. I just know it."

Lyra ran down the stairs and joined the hug, holding a teddy bear. "Yay! Family!"

Gold winced, but smiled. She supposed she would miss her little sister, too. "Goodbye, mom. Goodbye, Lyra."

She walked out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was interesting. I don't normally do this kind of story, but that's alright. <strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Violet City

**Here's Chapter 2.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 2: Violet City<span>

Stepping out of Cherrygrove for the third time that day, Gold headed north. She had just acquired a small amount of Pokéballs from the Pokémart, and she was dying to try them out.

_I want to try them out, but there's nothing worth catching._ It was true: all of the Pokémon on Route 30 were weak. Gold shrugged and sighed. _Perhaps there will be stronger Pokémon on my journey._

Another Pidgey flew at her. Firestorm took care of it quickly. Defeating these incessant wild Pokémon was a workout, but Gold thought that they needed larger weights. _These are becoming too easy._

Gold eyed the map on her Pokégear. It said that Route 30 led to Violet City, but when Gold had come this way before… two trainers were blocking the way. Coming upon the same place, she saw that the trainers had stopped fighting, and were now standing around. She walked past one, and the youngster grabbed her arm.

He grinned, making her feel uncomfortable. _Calm down. He thinks you're a boy._

He turned her towards him and pulled out a Pokéball. "You look weak! Come on man, let's battle!"

She sat there bewildered as he sent out a Rattata. "I'm Joey! I'm awesome!"

She gave him a look of consternation, and then turned to Firestorm. "Hey buddy, this is the same guy who pushed us away earlier. We don't like rudeness, do we?"

Firestorm charged forwards and sat on the boy's Rattata. Youngster Joey blinked. "Oh. I'm out of Pokémon that can fight…"

Gold nodded. "Yes. You are."

Joey pointed at her Pokégear. "Can I get your number? I'll ring you up to battle."

Gold gave him a look. "No thank you. I don't want you to have my number."

Joey seemed desperate. "But I'll tell you all about my Rattata! He's in the top percentage of all Rattata!"

"That's like being the largest grain of sand on the beach. You can still get crushed by rocks like me."

Joey whimpered and ran down the road towards Cherrygrove.

The other trainer walked to her. "That was rather impressive. But he was a loser. Can you take me on? I'm a winner!"

He sent out a Pidgey. "I'm Mikey!"

Firestorm squashed the Tiny Bird Pokémon before Mikey could even move. "Hey, that's no fair! Go, Rattata!"

_Another one? How many Rattata do these guys have?_ "Firestorm, Leer!"

The Rattata didn't seem that affected by the gaze and jumped at the Cyndaquil. "Firestorm!"

Firestorm grinned, sidestepping out of the way and letting the Rattata run into a tree, where it fainted.

Mikey didn't seem to know what to make of it. "I… I won before!"

Gold ignored him and strode past him.

There was one more trainer in her way. "You! Yeah, you! You fight me now! I'm the strongest kid on the Route!"

She assessed him. He was very seedy looking. He was also carrying a Butterfree net. "I'm Don! I'm a bug catcher!"

_Do they have to introduce themselves? I don't care who they are! They're all in my way!_ Don sent out a Caterpie. "Firestorm, just defeat it so we can move on."

Firestorm's back flared up. Gold was shocked. _That's new._ Firestorm blew embers over the Caterpie, instantly fainting it.

Don jumped away and threw some cash on the ground. "There! Take it! Just take it and leave me alone!"

Gold cocked her head to the side. "Why would I take your money?"

Don hesitated. "You mean, you're not?"

Gold picked up the money and handed it back to him. "I'm not a thug. Maybe you should keep training and get stronger."

Don nodded. "You're… you're a nice guy! Thanks!" He ran towards Cherrygrove, heading for the Pokémon Center.

* * *

><p>Gold walked along the Route extension, a.k.a. Route 31. She looked at Firestorm's back. "A new move, huh? Those flames aren't just for good looks?"<p>

The Cyndaquil giggled. Gold grinned suddenly. "That was totally badass, you know. But maybe we can work it up to a solid flame? That'd be so cool."

To pass the time, she examined her Pokédex. "Oh! Pokémon have these things called 'types.' A Caterpie is bug type, and bugs are weak to fire. Well, good to know. I should really memorize this type chart. It'll come in handy."

She walked past a guy who was muttering angrily. "Stupid jerks knocked out all the lighting."

Nearby was the entrance to a cave. A sign said 'Dark Cave.' Gold laughed. "They couldn't figure out a more creative name? How about 'Rock Cave?' Or maybe 'Underground Cave?' Perhaps just 'Cave?'"

Firestorm snorted.

* * *

><p>Gold walked into Violet City. It was evening, and the trees seemed oppressive. The few people who were milling about cast scared looks around. A few men were laughing boisterously at a bar, grabbing the rear ends of women who walked past. Gold repressed the urge to burn the bar down.<p>

All of the buildings were painted with dark, somber colors, even the Pokémon Center. She walked past a guy who was flashing off what appeared to be glass. "Shard de berry! Shard de berry! One berry for one shard! One shard for three berries, yah!"

She looked at a house, and its owner pulled the curtains shut quickly. _Not exactly the friendliest place._

She walked past a large building called 'Earl's School.' Large sections of it were run down, and Gold glimpsed several children in drab clothes running around, playing games in the dark halls. _This is truly a horrible place. I should defeat Falkner right away._

She walked to a large building and read the sign. "The Elegant Master of Flying Pokémon." She turned to her companion. "We should probably get stronger before we do this, right?"

The Cyndaquil nodded, and Gold spotted a tower in the distance. "What's that?"

She ran to it and read its sign. "Bellsprout Tower, home of the Bellsprout Masters. A holy order."

She opened the door and walked inside.

* * *

><p>A shaking pillar stood in the middle. A few monks sat at a table. "Hello, I'm Gold. May I ask about this place?"<p>

One priest looked up. "This is Bellsprout Tower, a place where only the best may reach the top. We train day and night to beat all. If you think you can defeat us, you may go upstairs. Be warned, though, we put our hearts and souls into our Pokémon. If you have no spirit, then you are no match for us."

Gold shrugged. A place for training? That sounded good for her.

* * *

><p>Silver glared at the old fool. The Elder nodded. "You are indeed powerful. Take this TM… but I think you should care more about your Pokémon. You're rather harsh, like many trainers I've seen. Pokémon shouldn't be tools of war…"<p>

Silver turned away from him. "Ha! You call yourself 'Elder?' You were not even close to my strength! Those who lecture about being 'nice…' can't be strong in the slightest! They try too hard to be nice and become weak! The only Pokémon that matter… are the ones that always win. The rest mean nothing."

Gold watched him say these words and use another flight of stairs to reach the basement. When he gave that speech, her heart jumped. She felt really sad and pitied the redhead.

However, she didn't climb those ladders and defeat all those sages for nothing. "Elder? Are your Pokémon ready?"

The old one smiled. "Ah, yes. They're ready. It's good of you to come here. This tower is a place where people can test their bonds with Pokémon. I am, shall we say, the final test. This city might be dark, but my spirit burns bright!"

The Elder sent out a Bellsprout.

Gold laughed. "Why am I not surprised?" The last six sages had only Bellsprout as well. "Firestorm, give those weak grass types a taste of flame!"

Firestorm spat embers at the Bellsprout, who fell down. The Elder seemed surprised. Gold wasn't. "My flames burn brighter than your spirit."

The Elder sent out a Hoothoot, and Gold nodded, appreciating something new. "Firestorm, Quick Attack!"

This was an attack that Firestorm had learned downstairs. The Cyndaquil charged the Hoothoot, knocking it out the window of the tower. Gold's eyes widened. "Oops! I'm sorry!"

The Elder sighed. "It's alright, young one. I have one more." He sent out another Bellsprout, which Firestorm promptly lit up.

The Elder smiled. "Ah, excellent. I do say, is your Pokémon evolving?"

Gold frowned. "What? Evolving?" She turned to Firestorm, who started glowing, shifting, expanding.

Gold sat through the entire process, mortified. When it was over, Firestorm loped over to her. Now his head and back were covered in fire. "Quilava."

Gold twitched. "What was that? What happened to Firestorm?"

The Elder sat down tiredly. "Evolution. Not all Pokémon do it, but among those who do… it's sort of like maturity for Pokémon. Once they reach a certain point in age or strength, they transform into a different form. Some evolve once, some twice. It's either instant change to adulthood, or becoming a teenager first."

Gold grasped what he was saying. "So you're a teenager, Firestorm?"

Firestorm grinned and Gold laughed. "Same old Firestorm."

The Elder relaxed. "The way you battle is quite elegant. You should be able to stand up to Falkner."

Gold gasped. "How did you know?"

The Elder shrugged. "All trainers fight him at some point. I hope you defeat him. We sages are too weak to do much… so we have had to pay first his grandfather, then his father, and finally Falkner himself a sum of cash every month to keep them from burning down this place. As you noticed, we don't like fire that much."

Gold nodded. "What was that thing you gave Silver? A CD of some sort?"

The Elder held out another disk. "A Technical Machine. They're used to instantly teach moves to Pokémon, but they break afterwards. This one is the one we sages guard, Flash. It lights up even the darkest of nights and caverns."

Gold took it. "Thank you, Elder."

The Elder shook his head. "No, thank you. It's not often a courteous young man such as yourself comes through here. I'm blessed to see one with such spirit."

Gold turned. She hoped that trainers credited her with her strength just from being her, rather than with being a boy. Of course, the entire point of being a boy was to seem stronger in the first place and ward off those with malicious intent…

* * *

><p>After healing at the Pokémon Center, Gold stood in front of the Gym.<em> I wonder what the home of a crime lord looks like.<em> She walked towards the doors, which opened automatically. _Automatic doors? When the city is so poor? What a waste…_

She turned to her partner. "Ready, buddy?"

Firestorm's fire raged. He looked very eager. "Alright! Let's go!"

Inside, there were two statues and an odd colored spot on the floor in front of her. Guessing what it meant, she walked over to it.

It rose out of the floor, causing Gold to fall on her face. "Oof!" Looking down, she saw that she was at least three stories up. Falkner was standing across a narrow bridge looking almost bored, playing with a stack of coins.

Two bodyguards stepped forwards. Gold didn't know what to do. "Um… I'm here to fight Falkner?"

They nodded, leading her across the narrow beam. Gold had to bite her tongue to keep from panicking. The floor was _very_ far down. One guard gestured. "This place has been the home of the Bird Masters for three generations. This city has paid this family for 'protection' ever since Falkner's grandfather was around. Do you think you can beat someone with that lineage?"

Gold shrugged; it seemed as good an answer as any. She was led to Falkner, who didn't look up. "What is it?"

The second guard stepped forwards. "A challenger, Master."

Falkner turned from the coins. "Another guy. Why can't challengers be pretty girls?"

Chuckling inwardly at the irony, Gold stepped away from the two lumbering guards. "Sorry to disappoint you."

Falkner stood up. "Okay then, introductions. I'm Falkner Aerias the Third, the Violet City Gym Leader. I have inherited this position from my father, who disappeared one night. I believe that it was Morty's gang, but I can't prove it. People say birds are weak… I won't allow such insults to bird Pokémon! I'll show you their true power!"

He raised his arms, tossing out a Pidgey, who flew up high. Morty grinned. "There's a reason this place is so large. Pidgey has enough space to dodge anything!"

Gold nodded. "Okay, then, I'll make my attacks sort of general." She turned to her Quilava. "Firestorm, shoot embers through the whole room!" The Pidgey got hit by some, but survived.

"Pidgey, Sand Attack!" The Pidgey flew down and kicked some sand into Firestorm's face.

_So that's what the sand is for._ "Mix embers in!" Firestorm blew the bright specks through the sand, and Pidgey became stuck. The sand had turned to glass around its feet. One tackle and it was done for.

Falkner returned the Pidgey to a ball and sent out a large bird Pokémon. "This was my father's Pidgeotto! His spirit lives on in this magnificent creature! The wind is with us, father. Blow that bastard away!"

Pidgeotto used its wings to launch wind at Firestorm, who was turned over. Rolling back on his feet, the Quilava pushed off the ground, leering at the Bird Pokémon. While it paused, frightened, Firestorm's momentum carried him to it. The Pidgeotto responded with a quick swipe of its claws, but it couldn't stop from being pushed into a wall with a dull _thunk_.

Falkner glared. "Pidgeotto, Gust!"

Gold pointed at the walls. "Quick Attack! Bounce to it!"

Firestorm jumped off a wall and clawed the Pidgeotto as he flew past, but the winds blew the Quilava to the floor.

Gold frowned. Firestorm was seriously injured. What was she going to do? Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a Potion. _That creepy lab assistant's going to help me out._

She tossed it and it splashed all over Firestorm. The extra strength that came from the liquid gave him enough power to bounce one last time, finally knocking out the opponent.

Falkner froze for a moment, then nodded in acceptance. "I see. I'll bow out gratefully. You were a worthy opponent…" He patted the Pidgeotto, lying on the floor. "Even my father's spirit was not enough. But that is okay. A defeat is a defeat, after all."

Gold crossed her arms. "So… you'll give back all the money you took, right?"

Falkner shrugged. "You're the new boss in town. I wasn't good enough to fulfill my legacy."

Gold nodded. "Do it. I want you to help everyone out and make this city live."

Falkner laughed. "You're rather bossy, boy. I've grown accustomed to having my way. What makes you sure that I won't come back?"

Gold scowled. "If you don't do as I say, I'll defeat you again."

Falkner nodded. "No less than I expected. I am an honorable man. My father taught me much about honor. I will respect your wishes and 'make this city live,' as you say."

Gold's mouth took on the hint of a smile. "You might be the Gym Leader here, but you're not all that bad, are you?"

Falkner shrugged. "If you are without honor, you are no man. You are a disgrace." He pulled out a small piece of metal. "One other thing… this is a badge. Among us Gym Leaders, it is a symbol of strength. Every one of us has one. This one is the Zephyr Badge. I would like to give you it. Perhaps the others will give up when they see it." He grinned. "Not likely, though. I was always the weakest of them. My territory was always smallest."

Gold took the badge and pinned it on her red sweater. "Okay. Thanks."

Falkner sighed. "Not all Gym Leaders are like me. I'm sure you intend to fight the others, so I want you to remember that. Many don't give a Hoothoot about honor or rules. Many couldn't live without stealing or murdering…"

Gold waved the thought away. "I want to see people bright and happy when I come back, okay?"

Falkner placed his hand over his heart. "You have my word. What is your name?"

Gold turned and walked across the narrow wooden beam. "Gold."

* * *

><p>Bugsy frowned. "What do you mean he defeated you?"<p>

Falkner's voice was steady over the phone. "Just what I said, Bugsy. Some boy wearing a gold-black hat came in and crushed me."

Bugsy laughed. "It wouldn't change anything, right? Your Pokémon will eventually recover, and then back to business, eh?"

"No. I gave him my word man-to-man that I would… how did he put it? 'Make this city live.' He pretty much gave me control, but I'm going to be benevolent."

Bugsy shook his head. Such nonsense. "Really? You mean, no more extortion?"

Falkner's voice was sharp. "I was never really comfortable with that, anyways. I gave Gold my word, and I am an honorable man."

Bugsy sighed. "Well, I'll give him a warm welcome… by the way, there's some Team Rocket members on my turf."

"Team Rocket? They were disbanded three years ago. I can't say I'm all that interested in a few roving survivors."

Bugsy frowned. "These ones didn't seem lost and without hope. I think they've started up again, but this time in Johto."

"Be careful, okay? Some of the others don't mean a lot to me, but you're my friend."

Bugsy shrugged. "I give you food and machines, you give me cash. It works out. I'm happy that you think so much of me, though."

Falkner's voice was serious. "If Gold beats you, I want you to cooperate with him. He may be just a kid, but his heart is in the right place."

Bugsy was sarcastic. "Yeah, and having your heart in the right place really rolls in the dough."

* * *

><p>Gold had just left the Gym when she got a phone call from Professor Elm. "Hello, Professor?"<p>

"Gold! We just had a small breakthrough… the details are complex… but suffice to say, we think it may be beneficial for you to carry that egg!"

Gold made a face. "You want me to go _all the way back to New Bark Town?_"

"No, that won't be necessary. I sent my assistant to the Pokémart in Violet. He should be there about now."

Gold shuddered. _I have to meet that creepy assistant?_ "Okay, Professor. I'll pick it up."

She hung up, and the phone rang again. This time, it was from her mother. "Hello? Gold?"

"Hi, mom."

"Are you okay? What's happening?"

Gold smiled. "I'm fine, mom. I just beat the Gym Leader of Violet City. Check the news once in a while. I have a feeling I'll be on."

Her mom laughed. It was a pleasant sound after the harsh shrieking of bird Pokémon. "I'm glad to hear it. I've been worrying, you know."

"Don't worry, mom. I'm doing perfectly great, and Firestorm is, too."

"Okay. Make sure to eat well and get a good night's sleep."

Her mother hung up, and Gold went in search of the Pokémart.

* * *

><p>Word must travel quickly. After only a few minutes of walking, she heard murmurs among the people. A few smiled at her, and a few waved. She waved back, not entirely sure how to feel about this.<p>

When she walked into the store, she found herself face-to-face with Elm's assistant. "Long time no see, Gold. I've been waiting for you." The way he said it made her skin crawl.

"Hi. Professor Elm said you have the egg for me?"

The guy smiled. "Yeah. We'd like you to take care of it." He pulled it out, and Gold took it.

"After you left, Gold, the Professor did some tests. Apparently the egg won't hatch unless it receives warmth and care. I immediately thought of you. You know, because of… motherhood and all that?"

Gold frowned, icked out. A mother? Her? "Okay… so the Professor thought it was a great idea?"

The assistant held his hands out. "He has more important things to think about. He agreed and moved on." The assistant handed her a small bottle. "With your Pokémon stronger, it'll do you good to have stronger medicine than those Potions I gave you."

Gold nodded. "I've used three of the five you gave me. One helped me beat the Gym Leader."

The assistant grinned. "Of course. This is a Super Potion. It's stronger, but I could only get one. Use it wisely…" He left the shop.

Gold carefully placed the egg in her bag. After she was sure it was secure, she walked to the counter. "Can I have… two Potions?"

The shopkeeper smiled warmly. "Boy, you can have anything you want! What you did for us with Falkner… we'll never be able to repay you!" He pulled out the two Potions and handed them to her. "Here. On the house, as they say."

Gold shook her head. "No, I don't want to cheat you. Let me get out some cash…" She pulled out some money and paid him.

The shopkeeper nodded. "Then many thanks to you. I haven't seen a boy like you in quite some time!"

* * *

><p>Gold walked out of the door, tired. <em>I better find a hotel.<em> She stopped suddenly. Right in front of her was a girl with a kimono. "Um… hi?"

The girl looked at her bag, with the egg sticking out of the top slightly. "That egg…"

Gold was confused. "What about it?"

The girl walked closer and touched it caressingly. "I see… it was given from Morty of Ecruteak to Mr. Pokémon, and from there, it was sent to Professor Elm, and then he gave it to you."

Gold was frightened by the accuracy. "Y-yes, uh-huh." _Is she stalking me?_

The girl turned to the left. "Now I get it… that egg is important. Please take care of it for me. Understand?"

Gold shook her head. "No, I don't, but I was going to take care of it anyways."

The kimono girl bowed. "Good. I am counting on you."

She walked south, leaving Gold behind. Gold scratched her head. "What was that all about?"

Deciding that it didn't matter, Gold looked around. _I should find that hotel, then. It's getting dark, and it's a long way to Azalea Town. _She had decided on this destination after looking at her Pokégear's map. The route would allow her to hit two cities with Gym Leaders.

Walking towards a rather run-down hotel, she was stopped by a man. "Hey. I want to give you something for defeating Falkner."

_What is it with this town and giving gifts?_ "What is it?"

The man looked left and right nervously. "This is an HM, or Hidden Move. There are only a couple of these in existence. They allow your Pokémon to do various things in the field that they wouldn't normally be able to do, and unlike TMs, HMs don't break after using. This one contains Rock Smash, which destroys boulders in your way."

Gold gaped. This was an extremely useful gift. "Uh, thanks!"

The man held up one finger. "One thing to note, though… this move takes up the strength of your Pokémon. They won't be as powerful when they learn HMs."

Gold made a mental note of that. "Okay. Thank you." She tiredly turned around, hoping to get to the hotel without any more distractions.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay. I hope the battle was good. I didn't want it to devolve into "Pidgeotto used Gust. Quilava used Ember. Pidgeotto used Gust."<strong>

**I hated Joey. Every three seconds, it seems: "My Rattata is in the top percentage of all Rattata!" Even when it evolved…**


	3. Chapter 3: The Well and the Researcher

**This is Chapter 3.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3: The Well and the Researcher<span>

Gold yawned and got out of bed. She woozily looked around. Firestorm was lying on the ground, watching her expectantly. She laughed. "Okay, buddy. Let's go get breakfast."

After getting dressed, they ate a short meal from the hotel's stock.

Gold rushed outside, eager to see Violet City in the day.

The city was still darkly colored, but the sunlight gave it the appearance of washing away all evil. Gold smiled. It was a good way to start out the day, and it was time to go to Azalea Town.

* * *

><p>Heading down Route 32, she blasted aside every single Bellsprout she came across. <em>This must be the place the priests get theirs.<em>

All of a sudden, a much different Pokémon stepped out. Gold eyed it with apprehension. "Firestorm, Leer!"

The Pokémon, a Mareep, growled back. Gold noted the electrical discharges coming from its fur. _That is so cool. I want!_

She pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it. It twitched once, but opened again, breaking the Pokéball's inner mechanisms. The Mareep continued to growl.

Gold scratched her head. _At my strength, I'd knock it out too quickly. I'll just have to keep trying to catch it at full health._ She tossed another one, and this one twitched twice before bursting open. The Mareep growled once more. _Why isn't it attacking? What's with the growling?_

The next Pokéball simply shattered, and the Mareep tackled Firestorm. _I want it, but not at the expense of Firestorm._ "Firestorm, Tackle!" To her surprise, the attack did little damage. She pulled out her Pokédex and cycled through moves until she got to this one: "'Growl. Reduces the attack power of the opponent.' No wonder it did so little! Okay, Firestorm, again!"

The Quilava and Mareep were rolling over each other, trying to get the best footing. Gold pulled out another Pokéball. _Please let this work._ She threw it, and it twitched three times before clicking.

Gold picked it up, looking through the clear top. The Mareep was still growling, shooting electricity at the walls. "Wow. You sure have an itchy trigger finger in there. Hey, that's a good name for you! I'll call you Trigger." Trigger continued to growl. Gold held the Pokéball out to Firestorm. "This is our new friend. Her name is Trigger. Let's try and be nice to her, okay?" Firestorm nodded.

* * *

><p>Running down into a more rocky part of the Route, she was stopped by an angry-looking blonde man. "That Badge! It's the symbol of Zephyr! You're the one who beat Falkner?"<p>

Gold nodded. "Yeah. I did. So what?"

The man whipped out a Pokéball. "You put me out of business! It was my job to get money from the school!"

Gold pulled out Trigger. _Time to see what this girl can do._ Trigger certainly looked menacing.

The opponent was a Pidgey. _Not surprising, as he was a minion of Falkner. _"Trigger, attack!"

What followed was the dirtiest battle Gold had ever seen. The Mareep and the Pidgey were about equal in strength. All of a sudden, though, the Pidgey froze and fell over. Its trainer was shocked. "What?"

Gold didn't understand either. "What happened?"

The bird keeper glared. "It's paralyzed! Must be Static!"

Trigger didn't hold back. It rammed into the poor Pidgey over and over again, knocking it out cold.

The bird keeper returned it to its Pokéball, then made a look of disgust. "You may have won, but there are others…" He ran up the road towards Violet City.

* * *

><p>Gold raised an eyebrow at the Mareep in its Pokéball. "You're rather mean. Kind of like I am when I'm mad. The difference is, I'm not always mad."<p>

Trigger growled. Gold put the ball on her belt. "Be how you want."

Another cave stood up ahead. "Union Cave, huh? We're going to have to go through here. Azalea Town is on the other side."

* * *

><p>The cave was incredibly frightening. Gold jumped at every noise. Trainers with dark looks in their eyes kept fighting her. They mostly consisted of hikers and pyromaniacs. All of them kept trying to rob her; of that, she was certain. However, with Trigger's battle-craze and Firestorm's powerful moves, Gold stayed safe, with her cash staying hers.<p>

A creepy man who identified himself as a Poké maniac was defeated thoroughly by Trigger's new attack, Thundershock. Gold couldn't quite get over Trigger's mentality. It was as if Trigger never held back. The electric-type attack was awesome, but it seemed overdone…

* * *

><p>"Out!" Gold yelled, running to the light. Then she jumped back towards the cave exit. "Rain!"<p>

She examined her Pokégear's map. "Route 33. An always rainy path that comes out of a cave. _Always rainy?_"

Firestorm winced at her tone. When he walked out, a trail of steam followed him. He made a very unhappy face. "I suppose that the rain is bad for fire-types… Let's try to get out of this Route quickly. It's pretty much the smallest Route, and Azalea Town is right up ahead."

* * *

><p>They ran into the town. But when she turned the corner…<p>

"Who are you? Don't you know who we are? We're Team Rocket!"

Gold paused and hid behind a large boulder. An old man was near a man dressed in all black. The dark-clothed man had an 'R' on the front of his shirt.

The old man laughed. "Team Rocket? Team Rocket broke up in Kanto three years ago! Don't use their uniform when it doesn't mean anything anymore!"

The black-clothed man reached down towards his belt. "Give me a break! We haven't broken up! Well, I mean we did, but now we're back. Back to pursue Giovanni's goal! Enough talking. Go to your little leader, Bugsy, and tell him that the Slowpoke Well belongs to us for now! Go!" The man in black shoved the old man, who stumbled backwards.

The old man picked himself up and grumbled, slowly walking towards the main part of the town.

Gold had heard of Team Rocket. They had been the kingpins of Kanto for five years. However, when Gold was eleven, they had disbanded for reasons unknown. Their leader, Giovanni, had left, and no one knew where he had gone.

_Back to pursue Giovanni's goal? Does that mean that they've restarted in Johto? Johto has enough problems as it is…_

She walked out and went up to the man. He put on a poker face and told her, "Nothing's happening. The well is unsafe right now, so I'm making sure that people don't wander in."

She nodded, eyeing the 'R.' "Right… okay."

* * *

><p>The environment of Azalea was different from that of Violet City. Nearly everything in the city seemed to be made from wood. The Gym was large, but not extravagant.<p>

Not only that, but everyone seemed to be trying to sell something. An old gentleman shuddered at one stand. "Slowpoke tails? As a tasty treat? That's horrible."

Another girl gave Gold a flyer. "Go to Kurt's! He makes the best Pokéballs in the world! You won't be disappointed!"

Gold thought about it. _I did use quite a few Pokéballs to catch Trigger. If these are good Pokéballs, it might be worth it to go there._

There wasn't a set time to challenge the Gym Leaders, so she went to the building described on the flyer.

* * *

><p>She walked in, seeing an old man and a little girl. A corner of the room was reserved for cooking, and a very large amount of space had papers all over it. The papers had mathematics scribbled on them and were marked with words like 'fast' or 'heavy.' A few glasses and scopes were also there, probably used to look at fine details up close. Gold went up to the old man. "Hello. Are you Kurt?"<p>

The man turned from a piece of paper he was writing on. "Hm? Who're you?"

Gold told him her name, and Kurt turned back to the paper. "Gold, huh? I suppose you want some crafted Pokéballs?" He frowned. "Sorry, but I'm not doing that right now. You know Team Rocket?"

Gold nodded slowly. What did they have to do with anything?

Kurt glared at the paper. "They're an evil gang that uses Pokémon for filthy acts. They're supposed to have fallen apart three years ago, but they seem to be back! Now they're cutting off Slowpoke tails for sale!"

Gold's eyes widened. That would really hurt… those poor Pokémon!

Kurt hefted a large hammer. "I'm going to give them a lesson… in pain!" He strode past her and out the door.

Gold thought he was crazy. Team Rocket had Pokémon, and Pokémon were powerful. If Kurt had simply asked her, she would have gone to the well and blasted aside that pitiful guard in front.

The little girl sighed. "Grandpa's gone… I'm lonely now."

* * *

><p>Gold ran. "Firestorm, we have to stop him before he gets hurt!"<p>

Firestorm nodded, and when they got to the well, the guard was gone. Gold eyed the well. "We're going to have to go in there…"

She went up to it, looking down. "At least there's a ladder. Come on, buddy."

* * *

><p>Kurt was sitting down, holding his ankle. "Ow, ow, ow. Hi, Gold. The guard ran down here when I shouted at him. But then, I slipped on the ladder trying to chase him. I landed wrong, and now my ankle's broken…"<p>

Gold examined it. She was no medic, but she knew that it needed to be looked at by a doctor…

Kurt continued. "Can't be helped. Gold, can you go get them in my place?"

Gold nodded. "You should've asked me before. I'll go make them wish they'd never been born."

* * *

><p>She walked along the tunnels, not sure what she was up against. <em>This is Team Rocket. They terrorized Kanto for five years. I'm not sure what happened to make them disband, but… five years? They must be strong. And I'm still just a rookie. I only defeated the weakest Gym Leader. How am I going to fare against these people?<em>

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she ran into a Team Rocket Grunt. "Hey! I was standing guard up top when some old coot yelled at me! He scared me, and I don't like to be scared. I don't know who you are, but I'm going to take my anger out on you!" The man sent out a Rattata.

Gold nearly burst out laughing. After all that worrying, it was just a Rattata? "Firestorm, burn it!"

A few glowing embers were enough to make the mouse faint. The Grunt gave her a dirty look and sent out a second Rattata.

Switching out Trigger, Gold grinned. "Trigger, Thundershock!"

Trigger overenthusiastically roasted the Mouse Pokémon.

The Grunt returned it and jumped back. "Argh! This is really not my day!"

Gold grabbed the front of his shirt. "You've been cutting off Slowpoke Tails?"

The Grunt nodded. "Yes! Team Rocket will do anything for money! Don't hurt me!"

She glared at him. "Where's your boss?"

He pointed back into the cave. "In there! Please, just let me go!"

She pushed him away and walked further in.

* * *

><p>The next few Grunts were just as easy to defeat as the first. A few even made mention of someone called "Executive Proton." Gold supposed that this was their boss.<em> I want to find this guy. I want to find this foolish person that remakes Team Rocket into pathetic weaklings.<em> _I mean, I can understand one Grunt being weak, but… three?_

Electrocuting another Grunt's Zubat, she walked into the main cavern, where several Slowpoke were sitting around with their tails cut off.

A man with sky-blue hair was sharpening a knife. He was wearing insignia that indicated him as a step up from Grunts. "You!"

He turned. "What do we have here?" He smiled. "It's amazing that you walk straight up to me…" He held up the knife, and Gold withdrew a step. "I am often labeled as the scariest and cruelest guy in Team Rocket by many. I don't know why, but effectiveness equals cruelty. I strongly urge you to not interfere with our business."

Gold shrugged. "If you're hurting Pokémon, that's my business."

The Executive reached for his belt. "Oh? Caring for the wittle Pokémons? They're just creatures, boy."

Gold shook her head. "You're wrong."

He glared at her. "Okay, then. I'll give you a pity battle. Taste my wrath!" He tossed out a Zubat, and Gold hesitated.

_How much stronger is he from the Grunts?_ "Firestorm, Ember!" The embers knocked the Zubat out of commission, and Proton sent in a Koffing. Gold sent out Trigger. She might as well strengthen her new friend while she was battling someone weak.

Proton frowned. "No matter where we go, someone always disagrees with us…"

Trigger used Thundershock, but the Koffing charged through the stream of electricity to tackle the Mareep. "Trigger? Are you going to take that?"

Trigger growled and sent her full fury charging through the Koffing. Koffing, though, breathed out poison... and the Mareep gasped. "Trigger?"

Proton smiled. "She's poisoned. Did you really think you could interfere with Team Rocket?"

Gold's mind snapped. The idea of poisoning an opponent was so sickening, so _vile_, that she couldn't stop herself. She punched Proton in the face right as Trigger delivered a final attack. Koffing fainted.

Proton held his hand to his cheek. "For a kid… to be this good…" He held up his knife, but Gold kicked his hand, forcing him to drop it in pain.

Gold kneeled down next to the Executive. "Why are you even here? Team Rocket was disbanded three years ago."

Proton grinned, slowly getting up. "Team Rocket was indeed broken up. But we continued our activities underground. You know, black market-type stuff. This thing in the Slowpoke Well? This is only a fringe activity. A small obstacle like you won't be much of a problem in the ultimate plan. I advise you to be very afraid of what is to come!" He pushed past her, heading to the exit.

Gold's fury slowly ended. She went back to where Kurt was, noting that the Grunts were gone. Kurt grinned, trying to stand with the help of a wall. "Nice job, boy. Team Rocket ran out of here like a Caterpie from a Pidgeotto. Let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>Back in Kurt's house, Kurt sat on a chair, sipping lemonade. "Have you ever heard of what happened to Team Rocket three years ago?"<p>

Gold shook her head. "I only heard that they broke up, never why."

Kurt winced as he shifted slightly. "Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, was defeated by a boy named Red. This same boy had defeated the Gym Leaders of Kanto, and Giovanni was the final Leader."

Gold laughed nervously. "Figures."

Kurt scratched his arm. "I heard that there was someone else involved, but I never got her name. Ah, well. What matters is that Team Rocket's back. I have a bad feeling about this."

Gold stood up. "Well, no sense in worrying overmuch about it."

Kurt waved his hand. "No, no. Sit down. It would please me greatly to make Pokéballs for you, Gold. Anyone else would probably have left me for dead. Even my own son…"

Gold shifted uncomfortably. "You mean, for free?"

Kurt nodded. "It's the least I can do. Don't worry. Although hand-crafted, or perhaps because of it, I make the finest Pokéballs in Kanto and Johto. Here's a sample of my work." He tossed her a Pokéball with yellow spots on it. "That's a Fast Ball. It catches some faster Pokémon easier."

Gold smiled. "Thanks, Kurt."

Kurt stretched. "Any new ones I make for you will be sent through the PC system."

Gold thought about it. "The system used to hold leftover Pokémon. Okay. I'll be glad to get such esteemed Pokéballs."

* * *

><p>At the Pokémon Center, Trigger's poison was cured, and now Gold was ready for the Gym. She walked to it and read the sign. "'Leader: Bugsy. The Walking Bug Pokémon Encyclopedia.' Ready, guys?" Firestorm gave her a cheer, and Trigger growled. "Okay, let's go!"<p>

She was not expecting what was inside. It looked like a nerd's greatest dream. Technology was everywhere. Machines lifted small stacks of computer chassis, and there were little levers everywhere. "Sheesh. And mom thinks _my_ room is messy."

A pair of identical twins were running through the machines. "Bugsy said to get the type 7. That's a type 4."

Her sister frowned. "I know, Mimi. Just help me out."

Walking up to them, Gold asked, "Hey, is Bugsy here?"

The one called Mimi pointed over her shoulder. "Yeah. He's in the back."

Walking around several operating computers, Gold scratched her head. "I thought a bug-type Gym Leader would want something more… natural."

Bugsy himself was a young man with lavender-colored hair. He was welding a pair of metal parts together. "Ami? Where's that type 7?"

Gold shook her head. "No type 7. Just a challenger."

Bugsy looked up. "Ah. Gold and black hat? Red sweater? You must be Gold. Falkner told me about you."

Gold nodded. "I'm here to fight you. I'm not sure… what are you doing?"

Bugsy gestured. "There's a lot that one can do with proper research equipment. Acids, poisons, pharmaceuticals… it all gets manufactured here and sent out to the other gangs. My group is in the Ilex Forest right now, gathering stuff to refine. All of this stuff fetches a hefty price. However, only I know how to make it. That makes me indispensable to the others."

Gold looked around. This entire thing was a supply rig? "Okay. Whatever. I'm taking it down. You won't be able to help the others after I'm through with you."

Bugsy grinned. "Haven't you heard? I _never _lose when it comes to bug-type Pokémon. My research has made me an authority on them. Shall I demonstrate what I've learned from my studies?" He stood up and threw a Pokéball, and out came a Scyther.

Gold had never seen a Scyther before. "If it's a bug-type, then it's weak to fire! Firestorm, give him a taste!"

Firestorm charged up a large group of flames around its body. Gold gasped. This wasn't weak embers, but a sustainable flame! Spinning the flames in a wheel, Firestorm rammed the Scyther, who keeled over, leering at the Quilava. Pulling out a berry, Scyther swallowed it.

_A Sitrus berry. Mom told me that those help heal injuries._ "Firestorm, more fire!"

Firestorm was weakened by the sheer effort that that attack had taken on him, so the best he could do was a few embers. That was enough, though, and Scyther fainted.

"Firestorm! You're too tired. Get back!" Firestorm nodded gratifyingly, and Gold sent out Trigger.

Bugsy sent out Metapod. From experience, Gold knew Metapod was the master of defense, but not special defense. "Trigger, hit him with all you got!"

Trigger sent out a wave of electricity, and the Metapod (which was mostly still) quit moving altogether, although it was still awake.

Bugsy growled. "Thunder Wave? A move that causes paralysis? That's real cheap!"

Gold glared. "Trigger! Just put it out of its misery! Don't do that unless it's absolutely necessary!" she yelled in a berating voice.

Trigger scowled and shot several Thundershocks at the Metapod, which managed to jump towards the Mareep halfheartedly. Trigger dodged and whacked it with her tail. The Metapod stopped twitching and became completely still.

Bugsy sent out a Kakuna, which Gold judged to be like Metapod, based on its appearance. Bugsy seemed smug. "Even though this is my last one, bug Pokémon are tough!"

Trigger wasn't having any of it. She shot a bolt of electricity at it, but was stung as the Kakuna bounced forwards with its tail in front. The Mareep moaned, and Gold recognized the sound. "_Poison?_"

Bugsy nodded smugly. "Even if you win, your Pokémon will die."

Trigger managed a final Thundershock that fainted the Kakuna before she collapsed helplessly. "Trigger! Bugsy, you better give me an antidote…"

Bugsy held out his hands. "Or what? Your first Pokémon is exhausted, and your second is at the mercy of the venom. You're under my control!" He tapped a few buttons on the side of a control panel, and a bar appeared around the teen girl's waist from the walls. "My Pokémon aren't me. They're just my tools. I use them until they cannot be used, and then I dispose of them. It's not the Pokémon that make me, Gold. I'm no Falkner, to give up when my _bugs_ give up. I'm certainly unhappy, but no more than you would be if I ripped your backpack."

He laughed. "You might be an expert on battles, but you're certainly not an expert on what a Gym Leader can do."

Gold pulled at the restraining piece of metal, but could not get away from it. "Let me go!"

Bugsy pulled out a dissection knife. "How naïve of you. Do you expect me to do what you say, even though there's no compelling reason?"

Gold squirmed as he brought that knife closer… and closer…

* * *

><p><strong>What a perfect time to stop this chapter!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Ilex Forest

**Chapter 4.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 4: Ilex Forest<span>

Bugsy ran the knife up her arm, slicing a shallow yet burning wound. Gold cried out, and Bugsy seemed slightly confused. "You're strong on the battlefield, but the moment you take real pain… you cry like a little girl? I thought you were a real tough guy! Guess I was mistaken."

Gold ground her teeth. Well then, if crying out was a sign of weakness, she wouldn't do it. Bugsy turned and pulled out a syringe. "It's been awhile since I've had a test subject. There are several chemicals that I need to understand, and Pokémon just won't do."

Gold struggled with the bond around her waist, but couldn't get free. When Bugsy got close, she swung her arm, missing.

Bugsy shook his head. "We can do this the easy way… or the hard way. You can retain free movement of your limbs if you allow me to do some testing."

Gold glared. "Bugsy, has anyone ever told you that you're a bastard?"

Bugsy laughed, nearly falling over. "My mother did… she was never married to my father…"

Gold raised her eyebrows. The literal interpretation of 'bastard,' huh? "Funny. You're a comedian."

Bugsy brought the syringe closer. "Hold still. It will be over soon."

There was a rumbling noise, and several machines fell over. Bugsy seemed perplexed. "What in Giratina's name…?"

Silver crashed through the piles of metal.

Gold was now completely bewildered. "Silver? What?"

Silver sneered at the Gym Leader. "More than weak Pokémon… I hate weak people. What you're doing to that guy… makes me sick. Only the weak prey on the helpless… they're the worst kind of people."

Bugsy was standing completely still. "Who in Giratina's bloody Distortion World are you?"

Silver sent out a Croconaw. Gold frowned. As the evolution of Totodile… didn't she beat the Totodile? Didn't Silver hate Pokémon who lost? To keep it was… seemingly out of character for the redhead. "Croconaw, Bite!"

The Croconaw jumped forwards and bit Bugsy's leg. Bugsy dropped the syringe and flailed around, trying to eject the Big Jaw Pokémon. "Get off! You stupid… agh!"

Silver went to the control panel and pressed a few buttons, and the bars around Gold's waist folded neatly back into the walls. "Get up, get your Pokémon. We're leaving."

Gold went to Firestorm and helped him get on his feet. "Where's Trigger?"

All of a sudden, a Flaaffy jumped out of nowhere and thundershocked Bugsy, leaving him sprawled on the floor. The Croconaw had detected the move and let go right before the Gym Leader was hit.

Gold kneeled down. "Trigger? You evolved? Trigger… where did the poison go?"

Silver humphed. "Don't you know that evolution wipes away the defects of Pokémon? It makes them stronger and removes weaknesses."

Gold smiled and went up to Bugsy. Reaching inside his lapel, she pulled out the Hive Badge and pinned it to her sweater. Next, she held him up to where she was standing. "Silver, help me out and push that button again."

Silver nodded, pushing it. The bars came down and caught the Gym Leader. Then, Gold turned to Trigger. "Trigger, Thundershock the darn controller." Trigger complied, and the control panel was fried beyond repair.

Gold and Silver walked out of the Gym, and Silver frowned. "Once he gets out… he'll still have control."

Gold grinned. "No, he won't." Moving to the crowded shop area, Gold stretched her shoulders out. The buyers and sellers noticed her and turned.

Gold put her hands to her mouth and yelled, "Bugsy's trapped inside… and he's helpless!"

There was a pause, and then everyone surged towards the Gym.

Silver face-palmed. "What if they were loyal to him? Idiot…"

Gold shrugged. "Bugsy's been experimenting on them. And he said that his followers were in the forest. Now that he's stuck, the townsfolk have control."

Silver shook his head. "I don't really care. I wasn't here for Bugsy. Tell me something… Is it true that Team Rocket's back?"

Gold smiled. "They are, but… I beat them. I kicked them out of town."

Silver jumped slightly. "What? _You beat them?_ Quit lying!"

Gold shook her head. Why would Silver react this way? "I'm not lying. I make a habit of not lying."

Silver's eyes bulged. "You're serious… I want to see how good you are."

Gold pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "Didn't you see at the Gym?"

Silver laughed. "I was just in time to save your sorry ass."

Gold crossed her arms. "Okay, then. Let's make a wager."

Silver raised an eyebrow. "A wager?"

Gold nodded, confident. "If I lose, I will tell you my great secret."

Silver gave her an odd look. "Oh? Not really enticing for me."

Gold shrugged. "If I win, you travel with me until Goldenrod City."

Silver grunted. "If you lose, you will go home and stop travelling," he countered.

Gold shivered. "Okay. These are the terms?" She didn't want to go home, but she felt she could beat him. More than that, he had saved her life. Perhaps she could find out more about this strange red-haired boy.

Silver nodded. "I travel with you to Goldenrod, or you go home in defeat. I find this acceptable. After all, I'm not going to lose."

Gold frowned. She didn't know Silver that well, but the way he treated people… thinking that goodness was weakness… it made her sad. She truly pitied him.

Firestorm had recovered, and they were good to go.

Silver sent out Gastly.

"Firestorm, Ember!" _If I go easy on him… will he be nicer to me?_

The Gastly survived. "Curse!"

The Gas Pokémon took a nail and drove it through its core.

Gold winced with every pound. "How could you let your Pokémon do that?" It fell to the ground, eyes crossed in pain.

Silver shrugged. "Your Ember attack… it was very powerful, and my Gastly couldn't survive another hit. I asked it to make its defeat worth it. Curse… look at your Quilava."

Gold was shocked. Firestorm was struggling, wincing as if the nail was being pounded into _his_ skull.

Silver returned the Gastly and sent out Croconaw. In response, Gold sent out Trigger. The Flaaffy growled.

"Trigger, Thunder Wave!" _This will slow Croconaw down. I don't like using paralysis, but Croconaw is quite a bit stronger than Flaaffy. Because of that, it's okay to use this move._

"Croconaw, Scary Face!" The Croconaw moved first, making its face as frightening as it could.

It couldn't scare Trigger… and got paralyzed. "Thundershock!"

The Croconaw was hurled backwards against a tree. However, it rose, and despite its paralysis, it lunged forwards and bit Trigger on the leg. Angry, the Flaaffy released all of the electricity stored in its wool.

The resulting lightning bolt was later reported to be heard ten miles distant.

Croconaw fell down, fried. Gold grinned. "Electricity is super effective on water types."

Silver scowled, sending out his final Pokémon, a Zubat.

"Firestorm, you ready?"

Firestorm seemed to have recovered after being out of battle. "Okay, then. Flame Wheel!"

Firestorm rolled the flames around its body, using his newest move. The Quilava leapt, ramming right into the Zubat, who crashed to the ground. It was unable to take the heat.

"You only won because my Pokémon were weak."

Gold was shocked. "Scary Face is a move that reduces the speed of the opponent's Pokémon. Croconaw was already faster than Trigger to start with. Had you used Bite constantly, Trigger wouldn't have been able to keep up. The problem isn't the Pokémon. The problem is the trainer."

Silver didn't seem to have listened. "And you kept yourself back, limiting yourself to Ember at first… why'd you go easy on me?"

Gold sighed. "I was trying to be nice, you dolt!"

Silver glared. "Nice? _Nice? _You shouldn't ever hold back. You should always fight like you _mean _it! If you don't put spirit into your battles… how do you expect to win? If you don't mean what you do, you might as well go back to your comfortable house and give up!"

"ENOUGH!" Gold roared. Silver had struck a chord in her. "I mean what I do! And I mean to liberate this region from those Gym Leaders and from this apparently revived Team Rocket! I will blow them all away! I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE FRIENDS, IDIOT!" Unable to stop herself, she started to cry.

Silver didn't know how to react to this. The way this guy acted was… strange, to say the least. He took a step backwards. _I don't like it when people cry. That this guy cries in front of me… they're not tears of weakness. I hate the weak, but this guy is so strong… what do I do?_

A voice came to him then. _Do what was wagered. Go with him to Goldenrod. Maybe you can discover what his strength is._

Silver walked to Gold. When he was only a couple of feet from her, he spoke, clearly feeling awkward. "I'll come with you. To Goldenrod, I mean. I lost, and I went into battle knowing that if I lost… I'd have to do this. So let's go."

Gold perked up, surprising Silver. _What's with this guy?_

"Okay. Thank you for not going back on our wager, at least."

Silver nodded. "And if we see Team Rocket on the way… well, I'm out to get them, too."

Gold frowned. "Why?"

Silver shifted uncomfortably. "I have my reasons. I am willing to say I hate the weak, and that Team Rocket is the biggest group of weaklings out there. They think that they're so tough so long as they're together. But alone, they're quite frankly pathetic. Always have been. I hate them all."

That Silver said this came as a surprise to Gold. Silver's body language did not match his words. His words indicated that his personal philosophy—the weak should be discarded—was why he hated the Team, but his body language spoke of a deep hurt that no mere philosophy could encompass. What's more, his tone was laced with so much venom that it could burn a hole in the air.

Gold decided that she would try to get the boy to tell her his real reasons while they traveled together. "Okay… shall we go? If we start now, we might be able to make it to Goldenrod City before dark."

Silver nodded. "Okay. But… I want you to stay out of my way after this. I have things I need to take care of, and I will not stop myself if you get in my way."

Gold sighed. _I must start unraveling him. So many layers…_

They entered the Ilex Forest together.

* * *

><p>Gold didn't like the forest. Not only was it dark and forbidding, but she knew that Bugsy's men were in here, perhaps hiding in the trees.<p>

They arrived at the point where they could move north… but…

Silver struggled with the obstacle. "There's too much brush. We can't move forwards. How about you get your Quilava to burn it down?"

Gold shook her head. "First off, his name's Firestorm. Second off, we'd probably get burned alive. Everything in a forest is flammable."

A man came forwards. "Oh? You trying to get past the quick-growing shrub? Well, I too need help. Perhaps we can help each other."

Silver glared. "Why should we trust you?"

The man seemed taken aback. "I just need you to go out and… catch some Farfetch'd that cut trees for charcoal. They ran off, and if you get them, I'll give you an HM, Cut."

Gold raised an eyebrow. "And that will cut away all of this overgrowth?"

The man nodded. "It will grow back in twenty-four hours, but yeah, it will cut it away."

Silver thought about it. "Okay, we'll get your Farfetch'd."

* * *

><p>Gold and Silver came back a half hour later covered in scratches, bruises, and many other injuries. However, in each of their hands, they held a Farfetch'd.<p>

The man seemed impressed. "Wow! You got me both of them. Thanks! Here you go!"

Gold took the HM. "Hidden Move, Cut. It may take a little power from the Pokémon that learns it, but it's certainly useful."

Silver nodded, eyeing the man as he walked towards Azalea Town. "I don't like making deals. They're too easy to break."

Gold examined it. "Firestorm is able to use it. I don't think we need to know Leer, do we?"

Firestorm shook his head. Silver frowned. "Wait. You're willing to weaken Quilava for this?"

Gold shrugged. "It's only a slight drain. And that's fine because Cut is a powerful move."

After the HM was done processing, Gold stood in front of the shrub. "Cut!"

Firestorm ran his claws downwards, and the overgrowth completely cleared.

Silver blinked. "I… I… wow."

* * *

><p>Ahead, even further into the forest, the two happened upon a shrine of some sort.<p>

Gold felt drawn to it and kneeled at the base, but Silver seemed to have no such compulsion. "What are you doing?"

Gold sat still. "Don't you feel it? Ilex Forest Shrine… a tribute from humans to the forest's guardian."

Silver scratched his head. "Um… Gold? What guardian?"

Gold stood up slowly. "Perhaps you can't feel it…"

Silver shrugged and started to walk. "Come on. The sooner we get to Goldenrod, the sooner I'll be free of you."

* * *

><p>They walked for many more hours until they came upon a person. Gold blinked. The person was a kimono girl. She looked identical to the one she met in Violet City.<p>

"Kimono girl, kimono girl, lost and alone. Poor girl lost in the dark forest."

Gold pointed at her. "You were the one who obsessed with my egg in Violet City."

The girl shook her head. "No. 'Twas not I. I have never been to the city of the flyers."

Gold spluttered. "Then… what? I…"

Silver grunted. "So… what now?"

The kimono girl sighed. "I am lost. Can you help me get out?"

Gold's thoughts came back together. "Of course!"

Silver frowned. "But… we don't know the way…"

The girl laughed. "Yes, I know. But I'm still glad for your kindness."

Walking together, Gold led the girl by the hand.

* * *

><p>They found the exit, and the girl turned to Gold. "Thank you. I will see you." She left the forest.<p>

Silver snickered. "Looks like you found a girlfriend."

Gold flinched violently. "What?"

Silver was openly laughing now. "Didn't you notice the looks she was giving you? She kept studying you like a book!"

Gold shuddered. Perhaps this was an unintended consequence of looking like a boy. She didn't like it… "Oh, shut up, Silver."

* * *

><p>It wasn't until they were slightly out of the forest that they were attacked by Bugsy's gang.<p>

Silver and Gold, working together, defended themselves with Trigger, Firestorm, Croconaw, and Gastly. The combination of Thundershock, Flame Wheel, Rage, and Lick was enough to blast away the pitiful bug type Pokémon that every person seemed to use.

Silver glared at the fleeing forms. "Weaklings."

Gold patted his shoulder. "Just because you beat them doesn't make them weak."

Silver looked at her. "Oh, really?"

Gold nodded. "It makes you strong."

She walked off, leaving Silver gaping at her. He had to hurry to catch up.

* * *

><p>Gold breathed in the air. "Route 34. Such fresh air. I suppose it's because of all of the greenery."<p>

Silver shrugged. "Whatever."

Gold turned to him. "Silver, can't you just enjoy it? The fresh air, the great view…"

Silver backed up a step. "And why do you enjoy it so much? It's annoying!"

Another voice was heard. "Grandpa!"

Gold and Silver stopped, Gold recognizing the voice. "Crys?"

Crystal walked down the road to an old man near a building. "Thanks for watching out for Chlora for me."

The old man smiled softly. "You're welcome. The young ones enjoyed playing with her."

Crystal crossed her arms. "I hope they didn't pull on her too much."

She noticed Gold. "Gold?"

Gold ran forwards. "Hey, Crys!"

Silver grumbled as they went to meet the blue-haired trainer.

Crystal turned to the old man. "Grandpa, let me introduce you. This is Gold, a friend of mine."

Gold smiled. "I didn't know you had family out here, Crys."

Silver frowned. "So… your name is Crys?"

Crystal turned to him. "Crystal, actually. And you are?"

Silver didn't answer, so Gold did. "Crys, this is Silver. I guess you could call him… a companion of mine."

Crystal walked into the building, holding the door open. "Gold, come inside!"

Gold dragged an unwilling Silver inside.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Grandma. Let me introduce my friend. This is Gold."<p>

The old lady behind the desk looked up. "So… this is your boy… friend."

Crystal and Gold jumped, looked at each other, and gave each other awkward smiles. Crystal, because she knew Gold was a girl, and Gold, because the 'unintended consequence' was messing with her again.

Silver laughed briefly, and Crystal turned back to the desk. "Grandma… no. Just no."

The old lady made a face. "Oh? Okay. I just thought… why else would you introduce him to me?"

Crystal pointed around the building. "This is the daycare center. Gold, this is a place that you can leave Pokémon if you need to. You can then pick them up here later."

A swarm of children ran into and out of the room. Gold was astonished. "So many… kids."

Crystal nodded. "Yes. Make sure you stay out of range, or they will literally take you down."

Silver walked back to the door. "Gold. Let's go."

Crystal held up a hand. "One moment. I want to talk to Gold, alone."

They went into the next room. Gold relaxed; she could act normally with Crystal. "So, been awhile, huh?"

Crystal sent out a Bayleef. "Yeah. You were right, back at the lab. Elm gave me her. Her name's Chlora."

Chlora and Firestorm walked close and looked each other up and down. Finally, they laid down in the corner.

Crystal smiled. "So how have you been?"

Gold stretched. "Fine. It's not easy, taking down Gym Leaders, although I'm managing. What are you doing?"

Crystal made a face. "I'm supposed to be looking for the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni. It's very hard, and I think I'm going the wrong way about it."

Gold laughed. "Yeah, good luck with that one."

Crystal looked up suddenly. "That boy… Silver? What is he to you?"

Gold's eyes narrowed. "We're companions. I'm travelling with him to Goldenrod. Once there, we part ways."

Crystal turned sly. "Is that all?"

Gold frowned at her friend. "We left New Bark Town nearly two days ago. Don't you think I would tell you if anything else was the case? Which reminds me…" She stood up. "I should get to Goldenrod before it gets dark. I need to find a hotel."

Crystal's eyes grew wide. "Um… Gold? Goldenrod hotels are expensive."

Gold shrugged. "I have money. I'm not going to go anywhere fancy."

Crystal sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She got up, holding out a slip of paper. "Here's my number. I would've given it to you in there, but what with your disguise and all… I didn't think it would be wise, with grandma watching."

Gold laughed, taking the paper. "Thanks. How do you manage without a disguise?"

Crystal shuddered. "Don't ask. Suffice to say, it's not safe for me to walk alone at night."

* * *

><p>Gold and Silver walked past a cop. "I'm on patrol for suspicious… um… indi… individ… indi… vid…"<p>

"Individuals!" Gold screamed.

The cop grinned. "Yeah! That!"

Silver face-palmed. "The cops… the ones who are supposed to be protecting people from the swarms of weak, greedy bandits…"

Gold nodded as they walked away. "I know."

* * *

><p>Gold looked around, awestruck. "So… big."<p>

Silver seemed unfazed. "Goldenrod City. The third-largest city in the world. Gym Leader is Whitney."

Gold felt lost. "So… um… what now?"

Silver walked forwards. "I'm done with you. I'm leaving." _He's still strong, and he helped me a little… I hope we meet again._

Gold watched the redhead vanish in the city streets. She looked around. _Wait…_ The buildings were all decorated in a peculiar pattern. They all had some sort of ornament on them, from ribbons to baubles to strange yellow sheathing. _Why is everything decorated?_ Off in the distance, she could see an enormous radio tower. _Better look for a hotel..._

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, then. Chapter's done with.<strong>

**Goldenrod City, Population: 126.**

**Castelia City, Population: 127.**

**Nimbasa City, Population: 239.**

…**One Island, Population: 9.**


	5. Chapter 5: Pink

**Yes! It's Chapter 5!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 5: Pink<span>

Gold walked down the city streets after leaving the hotel, still not sure what all of the decorations were for. She came to a dead end, and frowned. _Great. Now I have to walk back._

There was a great clattering in the next building, and Gold jumped. _What the heck?_ She opened the door to a very distressed-looking man. "Darn it! First I open the shop at the end of the street, where no one wants to go, and then I knock over the entire rack!"

Gold looked around. It was a bike shop. "You want me to help you with that?"

The man seemed grateful. "Oh, thanks!" Together, they picked up the rogue bikes. The man looked her up and down. "You look rather stylish. I have an idea!"

Gold hesitated, not sure what he was was going to say. The man gestured to the bikes. "My location sucks, but my bikes are top class. How about I give a bike to you, and you ride it around. If you do that, enough people will see you and come to buy!"

Gold blinked. _Free stuff! Cool!_ "Okay. May I pick one?"

The bike man nodded, and Gold examined each one carefully. She picked out a red one, and the man gave her his number. "I'll let you know when I want it back, alright?" Gold nodded, leaving the store.

* * *

><p>"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Gold rushed down the streets on her new bike. The Running Shoes were fast, but her bike was even better. She flew past startled pedestrians, looking around. <em>This has to be the only fast way to travel around Goldenrod.<em>

Arriving at the Gym, she heard an odd noise. _What the heck is that?_ Pausing for a second, it happened again. _Where is it coming from?_

She looked left and right. It sounded like someone was snapping twigs. It took her quite a while to realize that it was coming from her own backpack!

She opened it and pulled out the egg. _There aren't any sticks in here…_ Then she looked at the egg.

It had a crack running through the top. Gold was so startled that she nearly dropped the egg. "I broke it! No!"

Firestorm chuckled from beside her. He shook his head, pointing with a paw.

Gold put the egg down, and more noises were heard. The crack grew wider. "It's… it's hatching?"

Firestorm nodded. "How would you know? I got you as a child! I wouldn't think you'd seen any eggs hatch!"

Firestorm sighed. Humans always made things overcomplicated. Humans had to learn mating, breeding, and birth from other humans. Pokémon simply knew about all of this by instinct.

The egg sat still for a few seconds, then broke into hundreds of pieces.

A baby Pokémon sat in the remains, blinking carefully. Gold pulled out her Pokédex, looking through the entries. "'Togepi. The shell appears to be filled with joy.' That sounds completely ridiculous, but okay. 'It is said that it will share good luck when treated kindly.' That's even more ridiculous."

The Togepi frowned, standing up slowly. It looked up at Gold… and started crying.

Gold panicked, getting looks from passerby. "What do I do? What do I do?" She looked at Firestorm. "Buddy, help me out here!"

Firestorm reached into her fallen backpack and pulled out a sandwich. The Togepi devoured it.

Gold stared, amazed. "Joy. Now my sandwich is gone. What do I name you? Eggy would be ridiculous. You're male, right? Hm… how about Star? You have five points on your head, after all."

Star walked to Gold and hugged her. Gold thought it was cute until she realized that the Togepi was reaching for her small breasts, trying to get milk. "Star! Quit that! Now!" she hissed. How did Star know she was a girl? Or perhaps he was guessing?

Star paused, then started crying again. Gold sighed. "I'm going to have to purchase some Moo Moo Milk. Ugh… I'm not cut out to be a parent."

She called Professor Elm and told him about Star. He responded with glee. "That's great news! I knew giving it to you was a great idea!"

Gold felt the irrational urge to flip the phone off. Elm's assistant was the one who came up with the idea in the first place, and Elm had merely not paid attention. How could he 'know it was a great idea?' "Whatever. What do I do with the baby?"

"Take care of it, and some day you should come back to New Bark Town and show me. I'm sure you'll do fine in the meantime."

She was about to protest, but the Professor hung up.

Grumbling, she put the crying Star in her backpack and looked for a store to get milk from.

* * *

><p>After getting milk, Star was quiet. For this, Gold was eternally grateful. All she had to do was get milk, and Star would make no noise.<p>

Gold rode back to the Gym, only to be stopped by a girl in front of the door. "You need something?"

Gold nodded. "I'm here to see Whitney."

"Whitney's not here right now. She said that she 'had to get a Radio Card.'"

Gold sighed. "Where do you get one?"

"The Radio Tower."

* * *

><p>As Gold approached the tower, she noticed a Rocket Grunt staring up at it. She could see why he seemed to be in awe; the tower was fairly impressive. However, someone in a Team Rocket uniform… that made her a little angry. "Who are you, and why are you here?"<p>

The Grunt muttered, "The Radio Tower…" and then turned to face her. "What? Go away, pest! Scram!"

Gold twitched, but held her anger in. It would not be a good example to Star to murder someone and throw them in a ditch.

She walked into the tower.

* * *

><p>Gold walked to the receptionist's desk. Near the desk was a little girl with pink hair, furiously scribbling on a piece of paper. "Um… where can I get a Radio Card?"<p>

The receptionist pulled out a paper and pen and handed it to her. "Fill this out. If you get all of them correct, you get one."

Gold blinked. "Thanks, but I only wanted-"

The woman cut her off. "Just fill it out. Sheesh, it's not as if you're the only trainer who wants one."

Gold sat down, disturbed. Where was Whitney? She looked at the first question. _Can you check the Town Map with the Pokégear? What kind of stupid question is that?_ She checked 'yes.'

_Nidorina can only be female. True? Well, duh. _

_Kurt of Azalea uses apricots for Pokéballs. True? Well, I don't know what he uses, but I'm sure it's not apricots._

_It's impossible to use a TM on a Magikarp. True?_ She checked her Pokédex. _This was easy until this question. Hmm… Magikarp cannot learn any TMs. How worthless, as expected._ She checked 'yes.'

_In Professor Oak's popular show "Pokémon Talk," is he on with Marie?_

Gold stared at the last one. "The Professor has a show?" She tried to imagine the serious, scar-faced man on a show of some sort, but failed. _I didn't know he was on TV._

She decided to guess. She checked 'no,' because she didn't think four of the five answers would be 'yes.'

She turned it in to the receptionist. "Is this close?"

The receptionist scanned it, then widened her eyes. "This… this is incredible! No one's gotten it on the first try!"

Gold rolled her eyes. _No one? There have probably only been a handful of people who've tried, then._

The woman handed her a data card. "This is a Radio Card. Install it on your Pokégear to listen to the radio signals from this tower."

Gold smiled. Now she would have more than just manga for entertainment. The little pink-haired girl suddenly threw the test across the room. Gold was startled.

The girl hopped up and down, throwing a tantrum. "How could you beat me? I was sure that the answer was apricots!"

She ran up to Gold. "Listen, you! You were lucky! Come to my Gym, or I'll send people to beat you up! Meanie!" She ran out of the tower.

Gold stopped. _What?_ The answer came to her in a few seconds. "THAT GIRL WAS WHITNEY?"

* * *

><p>Gold reassessed Goldenrod City after learning that Whitney was only a child. The baubles and ribbons on the buildings now made sense. And perhaps Goldenrod had so many people because the other cities had adult Gym Leaders, and Whitney seemed to be friendlier? Certainly, she would prefer Whitney over Bugsy.<p>

She decided to go to the Gym.

* * *

><p>Gold boldly entered the Gym, only to almost have a heart attack. <em>P-p-pink!<em>

Indeed, the room was so pink that all other colors would've fled in fear. The walls were covered in portraits of pink-haired people dressed in pink.

Gold shuddered, nearly throwing up. It was bad enough that Lyra did this sort of thing, but that a Gym Leader would…

She walked along the path, shivering and holding her breath. That was the only way she could keep from screaming.

A lass stood behind a wall, looking horrified. Gold couldn't blame her. "H-hello."

The lass smiled a nervous smile. "H-hi. Whitney's in there." She pointed into a room.

Gold nodded and walked into the room.

* * *

><p>It was a playroom. <em>Why am I not surprised?<em> There were dolls and other toys everywhere.

Whitney was on the ground, playing with a toy house. Behind her, a man sat in a corner, watching her. When he saw Gold, he stood up and walked towards her. "Hello. What is your business?"

Gold gestured at the pink-haired girl. "I'm here to challenge Whitney."

The man nodded, then stepped closer, whispering. "I'm Mike, Whitney's guardian. When Whitney's dad died, she became the Gym Leader… so I'm here to make sure she stays safe."

Gold raised an eyebrow. "So… I can't fight her?"

Mike shook his head. "No, no. You can fight her, but if you try to hurt her, I'm going to step in and kill you."

He said it so matter-of-factly that it scared Gold. "Okay. I might hurt her feelings…"

Mike gave a short laugh. "Right… you know that no one has ever beaten Whitney, right?"

Gold shrugged. "Obviously, or she wouldn't be Gym Leader anymore."

Mike stepped back. "Whitney, you have a challenger."

Whitney stood up, pushing the toy house to the side. "Oh. It's you. Meanie-boy."

Gold stayed silent. Whitney frowned. "My dad was awesome, you know. He gave me everything! Why can't everyone be awesome like my dad? Why can't you all buy me things I want?"

Gold twitched. So Whitney was a spoiled brat, used to getting what she wanted. Gold would fix that.

Whitney continued. "I like Pokémon. Everyone I knew had Pokémon, so I got into it, too! I got all of these cute ones… You want to battle?"

Gold nodded. Whitney hesitated, then said, "I'm warning you… I'm strong!"

Gold shrugged. She would judge that herself.

Whitney didn't seem to expect Gold to be calm. She sent out a Clefairy, smiling. "Look how cute it is!"

Gold pointed at it, and Firestorm leaped forwards. "Firestorm, Flame Wheel!"

Firestorm charged its flames and dealt its most powerful attack on the small Fairy Pokémon. The Clefairy seemed surprised, but survived.

"Clefairy, Mimic!"

Gold frowned. _Mimic? What does that do?_ Clefairy seemed to do nothing, so Gold shouted again. "Cut!"

The Hidden Move shredded the Clefairy, and Firestorm suddenly stopped. The Clefairy double-slapped the Quilava a few times, but Firestorm did not dodge. He had been affected by Cute Charm.

Gold didn't understand. Quilava was salivating, almost… shy? What the heck?

Whitney threw a Super Potion at the Clefairy, and Firestorm nuzzled the small, pink Pokemon. _Wait… he's acting like he's in love. How'd that happen in the middle of a battlefield?_ "Firestorm, Cut!"

Firestorm didn't do anything, and Whitney yelled out, "Metronome!"

Clefairy unleashed a Magma Storm, but missed its target entirely, melting a wall to slag.

Gold's eyes widened. "Flame Wheel! Flame Wheel Flame Wheel Flame Wheel…"

Finally, Firestorm seemed to snap out of it. He charged up his flame and ran over the Fairy Pokémon, who fainted.

Firestorm was hurt by all of the unstopped attacks, so Gold sent out Trigger.

Whitney sent out Miltank. "J-just one left! I'm n-not losing, y-you hear?"

Gold yelled, "Trigger, go all out!" Trigger had just been freed from all restrictions. Gold saw that Whitney was indeed strong, so she needed to fight at full power.

The Miltank stomped on Trigger, who grimaced and unleashed a Thunder Wave, paralyzing the Milk Cow Pokémon.

Gold was shocked at the amount of damage that Trigger had sustained. _Dang it! _She threw a Potion, and Miltank stomped at Trigger again. Trigger dodged the attack and unloaded a Thundershock.

Miltank was momentarily paralyzed, but it stood up, aiming its foot once more.

Several Thundershocks later, Miltank was still on its feet, almost as if nothing affected it. It used Stomp one more time, and with a pitiful cry, Trigger fainted.

Gold was at a loss. Her Pokémon had never really fainted before. This Miltank was crushing her spirit. She sent out Firestorm once again. "Firestorm, Quick Attack!"

The Quilava rushed forwards and hit the Miltank, but Whitney seemed smug. "Milk Drink!"

The Miltank sprayed milk into its mouth from its own udders.

Gold smacked her forehead. Moo Moo Milk was a healing item, so why couldn't a Pokémon that made it use it? "Firestorm, Flame Wheel!"

Even the powerful Flame Wheel had little effect, and Miltank stomped Firestorm. "Keep going! Don't stop!"

Flame Wheel kept hitting, and Miltank kept healing the injuries with milk. This seemed to go on forever, until Whitney yelled, "Attract!"

All of a sudden, the air was filled with a sweet smell, and Firestorm's eyes glazed over. He kept attacking, but it was sort of halfheartedly. Unlike with the Clefairy, though, Firestorm did not allow Miltank to hurt him.

Miltank was paralyzed, and Firestorm was immobilized by love. Gold hesitated. _I've given all the orders I can. I can only hope Firestorm wins._

The battle continued to be a stalemate for several minutes, and then Gold switched Star into and out of battle as Miltank was stuck, paralyzed. As she expected, the attraction immediately went away. _An effect where if the target cannot see his object of attraction, he no longer becomes attracted. Weird._

Miltank and Firestorm continued to beat each other until finally the repeated burns made Miltank slow down. That fraction of a second was all Firestorm needed to jump in and bathe the Milk Cow Pokémon in fire. The Miltank seemed to keep standing for a moment, but then it crashed to earth.

Whitney's expression changed from smug to sick. "Ugh…" She started to cry, falling on the floor. "Y-you meanie!"

Gold kneeled down by the younger girl. "Hey, calm down. You were pretty tough! You've been the first Gym Leader to actually make one of my Pokémon faint."

Whitney looked up with teary eyes. "R-really?"

Gold nodded. "Really. I think you were awesome."

Whitney gave a small, furtive smile. Mike stepped near and handed Gold a badge. "This is the Plain Badge. It's supposed to be Whitney's, but I've been holding onto it. I think… you deserve it more."

Gold took it and pinned it on her sweater. "Don't worry, Whitney. Just be nice to people, okay? Play with your toys and be happy."

Whitney dried her eyes on her shirt. "W-what's your name?"

Gold grinned. "I'm Gold! You know, Whitney, you remind me quite a bit of my sister."

Whitney frowned. "R-really?"

Gold sat down completely. "Yeah. How would you like it if she came to play with you?"

Whitney smiled. "That would be fun!"

Gold nodded. She would make a mental note to call her mother, to have Lyra come over and play with Whitney. Perhaps that would keep the small, pink-haired girl from getting into trouble. "Okay, Whitney. Thank you, it's been fun. Be good."

Whitney was fine now. "Alright, Gold! I'll be good!"

Gold shuddered as she walked back through the pink halls. "I hope so."

* * *

><p>Mike was completely amazed. That Gold had beaten Whitney at all… and then changed Whitney herself? This was a feat that he didn't think anyone could accomplish. Whitney had always been rather spoiled, and now that she lost, she could get over that. Not to mention a new friend…<p>

It seemed to Mike that Gold would've made a good father to Whitney, if circumstances had been right.

A few minutes later, he got a phone call from Gold's mom. Together, they talked over details about a playdate. The first one would be at Lyra's house.

* * *

><p>Gold relaxed. The call had been made, and now it was up to her mom to arrange things. The teen healed at a Pokémon Center, bought a few items, fed Star (who seemed to grow like a weed, even in the short time he had lived), and looked at her Pokégear's map.<p>

"Ecruteak's the next one, but it's already getting dark. Travelling around Goldenrod takes a long time, even on bike, and then there was the long battle with Whitney. We'll start out tomorrow, okay, buddy?"

Firestorm stretched and yawned. They went back to the hotel and slept off the exhaustion from the Gym battle.

* * *

><p><strong>A bit shorter than other chapters, but that's fine. <strong>


	6. Chapter 6: Alice

**Chapter six!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6: Alice<span>

Gold walked down the streets, bypassing crowds and generally keeping to herself. When she had left the hotel, many people had noticed her and pointed at the badges on her sweater.

Gold didn't mind the sudden increase of popularity in the smaller cities and towns, but here… there were too many people. They might stampede her to death.

Keeping quiet, she snuck through the northern gate and arrived on Route 35, a bright path next to a small lake.

She breathed in the fresh air. Goldenrod might be large and full of interesting people, but it was really polluted. Here, though… even though it was just north, Route 35 was already cleaner.

She ran forwards, only to be stopped. "Hi there! You must be the boy everyone's been talking about!"

Gold blinked. "What?"

The guy pulled out a camera. "I'm Cameron, the photographer! Let me _take pictures of you…_"

Gold backed away. "Ack! Go away, creepy man!"

She ran, and Cameron frowned. "I'm not that creepy… am I?"

* * *

><p>Gold battled trainer after trainer, from a cute couple to a pyro. Her Pokémon got stronger and stronger with every win. A few recognized her here and there, but that was alright. Unlike in Goldenrod, they couldn't swarm her.<p>

Several tried to get her number. She had a feeling one or two of them were stalkers.

* * *

><p>Gold ran into a place with trees and fountains. "What? What the heck is this?"<p>

It was a beautiful place. Wild Pidgey were chirping, the fountains were gushing, and Gold felt like relaxing.

Which, of course, she couldn't do. She felt eyes on her, but she could not see anyone. For the size of the place, there was hardly anyone there.

She checked her Pokégear. "National Park. Constructed five years ago by Morty, Gym Leader of Ecruteak. I wonder… if he can make a place like this, is he even all that bad?"

She would find out when she met him.

* * *

><p>Walking out on Route 36, her mom called. "Hello?"<p>

"Hey, Gold. Your dad just called."

Gold nearly dropped the phone. "WHAT?"

"As it turns out, he saw you in the newspaper."

Gold frowned. "Mom, he's been gone for five years. He hasn't called, he hasn't e-mailed. There's never any news from him. He left when I was nine. How come he's calling now?"

Gold's mom sounded upset that Gold wasn't happier. "Gold… I know your father isn't the best, but… he at least called."

Gold was incredulous. "Yeah, but after _five years?_ He's been silent for five years!"

"Yes. I can't pretend to know his reasons, but even if we've had our… differences, I know that he still loves you. I'm going to forward you his phone number, and I'll let you decide what to do." Gold's mom hung up.

A number filed itself into Gold's Pokégear, and Gold shivered. A chance to talk to her dad after so long? No, it would be better that she didn't call.

* * *

><p>Gold stopped running when she reached some trees. A few people were staring at a small tree. "What's going on?"<p>

A teen girl pointed at the tree. "The only way to go north is through that gap, and the tree is in the way. It seemed to have grown overnight. We're waiting for it to rain because that's the only time it's not there."

Gold frowned. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. "Firestorm, Cut."

The move did nothing. Gold looked at the tree. "No marks, even. Let's see… Cut doesn't effect it, rain moves it… it's probably a Pokémon."

Firestorm sent a few embers over the tree, but nothing happened.

Gold glared. "Move! You're blocking the way!"

The tree flinched, and Gold smiled. "Ah ha! I knew it! Rain, eh?" She pulled out a water bottle. "Have a drink!" She splashed it, and it jumped up, opened its eyes, and screamed.

"Firestorm, Ember!"

Firestorm hit, and the odd tree flailed around, knocking the Quilava aside. "Again!"

This time, the odd tree aimed a kick, tripping Firestorm. Firestorm ended up on his back, with his flames pointed towards the strange Pokémon. It jumped back, clearly unhappy, and flailed around again.

Gold watched this happen. _It's rather tough. It can withstand my moves…_"Firestorm, keep going."

Firestorm attacked with Ember again, and the tree picked up a rock and threw it, almost hitting the teen girl in the face. Gold pulled her back just in time. _That's it._

Gold pulled out a Great Ball, one of Kurt's sent Pokéballs. She threw it, and it twitched three times before clicking.

She picked it up and looked at her Pokédex. "'Sudowoodo, the Imitation Pokémon. It always pretends to be a tree, although it's rock-type.' Which explains the whole rain thing." The Sudowoodo looked through the clear top of the Great Ball. His expression was scared. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. You're part of my team now. I'll call you… Trick. That alright?"

The beginnings of a smile appeared on Trick's face. "Okay, then!"

Gold started to walk through the gap, but the teen girl behind her stopped her. "Wait!"

Gold raised an eyebrow. "Yes? Do you need something?"

The girl smiled. "You were… awesome! I mean, I've never seen someone so smart, or so strong…"

Gold only nodded. What was this girl getting at?

The teen introduced herself. "I'm Alice. What's your name?"

Gold hesitated. "I'm Gold."

"Do you mind if… I come with you?"

Gold's eyes widened slightly. "Um… eh…"

Alice smiled. "Great! Where are we going?"

Gold evaluated the person in front of her. Alice had dark blue hair and red eyes. Her clothes were slightly frayed, but clean. Alice seemed very eager. _I guess it can't hurt…_ "Okay, um… we're going to Ecruteak City."

Alice hesitated for a second, but then smiled again. "Okay. Let's go!"

Gold held up a hand. "Hold on. First, we're going to Violet City to see what Falkner's been up to. I don't expect him to changed all that much in three days, but… I still want to see."

* * *

><p>Violet City was in the middle of construction, with Falkner giving orders. "Gold! It is nice to see you again. As you can see, I'm keeping my promise. We're repairing all of the buildings."<p>

Gold nodded. "That's good. I'm glad you're keeping your word."

Falkner peered down at a house, then turned back. "What have you been up to? I mean, you've conquered Bugsy and Whitney, from the badges on your sweater."

Gold hesitated. "Well… aside from meeting Alice…"

Alice was eating chocolate ice cream on a bench.

Gold continued. "My sister Lyra and Whitney are planning on playing together, I've caught a few more Pokémon, and my dad contacted my mom for the first time in five years."

Falkner frowned. "Your dad? What's the situation there?"

Gold sighed. "Five years ago, my mom and dad had an argument. I wasn't in the room at the time, so I don't know what it was about… but my dad left the house without telling me or Lyra goodbye."

Falkner blinked. "So now he called your mom?"

Gold nodded. "She said that he heard about me from the newspaper. I suppose that defeating three Gym Leaders in four days is pretty good, huh?"

Falkner chuckled. "You have no idea how good that is. Anyways, have you talked to your dad?"

Gold shook her head. "I don't know what to say."

Falkner patted her on the back. "I'm sure you'll come up with something. He may have walked out on you, Gold… but always remember this: family is important."

Gold sighed. "I know. Anyways, I'm headed to Ecruteak with my new fan." Alice was now juggling for a bunch of children.

Falkner's face grew shadowed. "I honestly wish you luck with Morty, Gold. There has never been a more dishonorable man. He acts only according to his own schedules. He built a National Park so that he could spy on the people that went to it."

Gold's mouth fell open. "So he put cameras everywhere?"

Falkner shook his head. "No such thing. You'll see what I mean eventually. It's hard to put it in words. By the way, I have a gift for you."

Gold smiled. She liked presents.

Falkner held out a miniscule pot with a small shrub in it. "It's a Kasib berry plant."

Gold took it. _What am I supposed to do with this?_

"Kasib berries protect against ghost-type moves. I think you'll put it to good use."

Gold turned. "Okay, thanks." She walked away, thinking, _I'm not a gardener… Every plant I get my hands on dies. What am I to do with this?_

Alice looked up. "Hey, a Kasib berry shrub! Do you mind if I take care of it? I'm something of a botanist, and it'd be cool to practice after so long."

Gold handed it over without hesitation. "I kill plants. So you should hold on to it. Although I wonder where you learned gardening from."

Alice put on an obvious poker face. "Kanto."

Gold thought nothing of it. "Of course. Now let's get over to Ecruteak. It's been a long day, and it'll be night by the time we get there."

Alice hesitated again, but nodded. "Very well."

* * *

><p>As the two walked west on Route 36, Gold noticed a southern path. She read the sign. "Ruins of Alph…?"<p>

Alice nodded. "I wouldn't bother with that place. It's dull and doesn't even have any Pokémon in it. Just strange symbols."

Gold felt a pull, as she had with the Ilex Shrine, but it wasn't as strong. "Okay. Let's get to Ecruteak."

* * *

><p>On Route 37, they were stopped by a pair of twins. "We're Tori and Til! We want to battle!"<p>

Alice pulled out a ball. "How about a double battle, Gold?"

Gold frowned. "Double battle? What's that?"

Alice laughed. "We both fight them at once!"

Gold shrugged. "Okay, if it would be fun. Firestorm, let's go!"

Alice sent out a Hypno. "Come on, Hypno!"

Tori and Til sent out Marill and Mareep. "Firestorm, Flame Wheel on Mareep!"

Alice pointed. "Psybeam on Marill!"

The Marill tried to spray Firestorm with water, but Psybeam was enough to pause it. The Mareep jumped forwards and scratched Hypno, who fell over. Firestorm covered itself in flames and rushed over the two Pokémon. The Mareep fainted and the Marill, already damaged, twitched slightly before sagging.

Alice ran forwards. "Hypno! You alright?" She recalled it as Gold walked over. "Sorry, Gold. I'm just not that strong…"

Gold smiled. "Don't worry. It's alright if you're not that good with battling. You're good with other things, that's all."

Gold took another step and was instantly flanked by two girls.

"You're so cute! Battle with me!"

"No, no! Battle with me!"

Gold eyed Alice, who shook her head. "No. The trainers around here are strong. Sorry, Gold, but you're on your own."

Gold took a step back. "Great. Route 37, the land of double battles with many girls." _And one of them called me cute! That's going too far!_

She didn't hold back.

* * *

><p>Alice and Gold finally entered Ecruteak as it was getting dark.<p>

Gold entered the Pokémon Center, surprised to see a crowd at the counter. A man with brown hair in a purple shirt walked away from it, and the crowd followed him. He signed autographs on everything they asked him to.

He stopped in front of Alice. "Hello there. I'm Bill. What's your name?"

Alice stuttered it out. "A-A-Alice."

Bill grinned. "You know what? I'm the one who invented the first electronic transfer system. Before me, people sent carrier Pidgey."

Gold stepped forwards. "Okay. So what? What do you want?"

Bill held his hands behind his back. "What, is she your girlfriend?"

Gold shook her head. "Of course not!" _Stupid unintended consequence!_

Bill smiled. "Well, I _am_ pretty famous around the globe. My prowess is well-known. My dear Alice, would you like to come to my hotel room for drinks?"

Alice looked like she was going to throw up. _He wants to… No boy's ever asked that before!_ "I-I'm sorry. I m-must decline." _He gives off a bad aura…_

Bill sighed. "Oh, well. I wonder if Lanette will…" He cut himself off. "Alice, if you change your mind, I'll be in Goldenrod for all of the next two weeks."

Alice shuddered as Bill left the building. Gold put a hand on her shoulder. "I can't blame you for not wanting to. He gave off a whole 'I'm a womanizer' vibe."

Alice shuddered again. _He gave off more than that. Not at all like Gold. _"I think we should go to a hotel soon."

* * *

><p>Gold walked to the hotel's front desk. "One room, please."<p>

Alice stiffened. "Uh… Gold? Can we get two rooms?"

Gold turned. "Why?"

Alice crossed her arms. "Because… I don't think it's appropriate for a boy and a girl to sleep in the same room together."

Gold frowned. _Great. My disguise means that I'm going to be paying for more rooms…_ "Are you sure? So long as there are two beds and a bathroom, it should be fine, right?"

Alice gave her a look. "And how do I know that you're not some sort of pervert?"

Gold face-palmed. "Didn't you think about that before you asked to travel with me?"

Alice nodded. "That's why I'm asking for a second room."

Gold held up her hands in surrender. "Fine. I'll get you a second room. I don't want to spend more money than I need to, that's why I asked…"

* * *

><p>Alice sighed as she climbed into bed, releasing Hypno from her ball. She didn't like deceiving people, but she didn't want Gold to hear her talking to the Hypnosis Pokémon.<p>

"Hey, Hypno. Sorry for making you pretend to lose. I just don't want to scare Gold away."

The Hypno spoke to her with telepathy. Alice shook her head. "No, it's alright. It's only that… Gold's different from every boy I've ever met, or even every person I've ever met. He gives off a strange aura, did you feel it?"

Hypno nodded and sent her a few thoughts. Alice chuckled. "I suppose you're right. Why else would I chain myself to him?"

Hypno's ear twitched. Alice nodded. "Yeah. Momentous events are approaching. I may not have my sister's gift of prophecy, but I can at least feel that much. And Gold's at the center of it. It's going to happen here soon, in Ecruteak, but I don't think it'll happen in the next week."

Hypno tilted her head and suggested something. Alice smiled. "Yes, that's another reason. Gold is kinda cute, huh? And not like other boys. I have to keep him safe, if not for the future, then for me."

Hypno sat down on the floor. Alice frowned. "You're right. There are two others involved with this. A boy and a girl. One has a long history with Gold, and the other is deeply connected with him. The bonds that tie these three are easily felt. I wonder… what's going to happen?"

Hypno smirked. Alice nodded enthusiastically. "M-hm. We're really lucky that Gold was here today. I'm glad to have met him, and hope that things go my way."

Alice looked out the window. "It's been a long time since we ran away from home, huh?" She put her head on her pillow. "Hypno, it's time to go to bed. Hypnosis and Dream Eater."

Hypno helped her master fall asleep, then ate the recurring nightmares that Alice had always had. _It's sad, what has happened to her. The most I can do is keep her comfortable._

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, Cameron. You are creepy.<strong>

**Bill is quite famous. And he has all of these women who've helped him… Lanette, Brigette, Bebe, Hayley, Amanita…**


	7. Chapter 7: Legends

…**Chapter 7! **

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 7: Legends<span>

Alice woke immediately to the sound of crying. _What in Giratina's Distortion World…?_

She got out of bed and walked to Gold's room. "Gold! What's going on?" The noise seemed to be coming from inside.

Gold opened the door, and Alice covered her ears. Gold turned, picked up a bottle of milk, and walked over to a small Pokémon. "Sorry, Alice. I forgot to turn my Star alarm off."

The Togepi looked happy and drank greedily from the bottle. Alice kneeled down. "Star?"

Star looked up and smiled. Gold smiled back. "Once you get to know him, he's alright."

* * *

><p>Gold and Alice walked through the streets of Ecruteak City. Gold looked around. "Where could the Gym be?"<p>

Alice frowned. "The Gym? Why would anyone want to go there?"

Gold laughed. "To defeat them, of course!"

Alice's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "D-defeat them?"

Gold nodded. "That's what I'm doing. I'm defeating all of the Gym Leaders. I've already beaten three."

Alice's normally cheerful face was instead scrunched in thought. "Alice? Everything alright?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah. I just didn't think you'd be doing this. So you're the boy who beat Whitney?"

Gold smiled. "Yeah. That's me. Gold of New Bark Town."

Gold halted in front of a blue-roofed building and read the sign. "Kimono Dance Theater? Wait… _Kimono?_"

Alice frowned. "Yeah. Kimono. Why?"

Gold opened the door. "Two kimono girls showed up in Violet City and Ilex Forest. If this is their headquarters, I can figure out why!"

* * *

><p>A voice came from the stage. "HEY! HEY!"<p>

Gold evaluated the situation. A Team Rocket Grunt was on the stage next to a kimono girl. "Why are you dancing so seriously? Show me a hula dance!"

The girl gave the Grunt a look of utter loathing. "Don't try to push such a request onto me."

The Grunt scowled. "Are you saying that you don't respect a customer's wants? How about I show you how to dance?" He grabbed her wrist.

The next thing he knew, there was a fist in his face. Gold had come on stage. "Back off!"

The Grunt rubbed his face. "Who are you? You… hit me!" He sent out a Koffing.

"Firestorm, Flame Wheel!"

Firestorm jumped forwards, anger towards Team Rocket manifesting itself in flames. The Koffing didn't stand a chance.

The Grunt made a startled noise. He looked down into the audience. Everyone was glaring at him. "You… you made me look evil!"

Gold snarled. "You did that yourself."

The Grunt backed away. "Although… you did remind me… I have somewhere I need to be!"

He ran out of the theater. Gold went over to the kimono girl. "You alright?"

The girl smiled. "You're Gold, right? Defeater of three gyms."

Gold nodded. "And soon to be four."

The girl sighed happily. "That was indeed excellent. Kind and strong… good friends with Pokémon…"

Gold backed away. "I… I… I think I should go." _Is she swooning over me?_

The kimono girl looked up. "Sorry! That was just me talking to myself. Forget it…" But Gold had already jumped off the stage. She was stopped by an old man.

"Hey. If you are Gold… well, I have seen you battle with mine own eyes. A story to tell my grandchildren. In gratitude, I want you to have this. HM03. It's Surf."

Gold took it. "Surf?"

The old man nodded. "It allows you to ride the waves atop a Pokémon."

Gold smiled, nervously looking over her shoulder at the kimono girl. "Okay, thanks. I really must go." She left the dance theater.

* * *

><p>Alice was all smiles. "That was <em>awesome!<em> You are totally badass!"

Gold was slightly amused. "It didn't _feel_ badass."

Alice shrugged. "Doesn't matter. That battle's going to be a story that will be retold for a long time."

Gold walked up to the Gym. "Leader: Morty. 'The Mystic Seer of the Future.' He can see the future?"

Alice frowned. "It's not an uncommon ability. I've known several people who can do it."

Gold turned. "Really? Who?"

Alice hesitated, then pointed at a notice on the door. "'Morty, the Gym Leader, is at Burned Tower.' I guess we should head there."

Gold nodded, although she felt that Alice was hiding something.

* * *

><p>There were several burned buildings on the way. People nearby shunned them as if they were cursed.<p>

Gold looked around. "Why've they been burned down?"

Alice forcefully shrugged, although she knew. The buildings' auras told a story of those inside getting in the way of Morty's plans, and then having their entire family massacred, the bodies cremated in the pyre that their homes became. It was Morty's way of encouraging 'cooperation.'

The two arrived at the Burned Tower. Everything above the first floor had been destroyed. Gold and Alice entered apprehensively.

* * *

><p>There was a large hole in the ground. The duo stepped around it, and were stopped by a gaudily dressed man. He held up his hands in a grand gesture. "Hello, children. My name… is Eusine. I am something of a legend. But today, I'm here to complete my lifelong dream. I have tracked the beautiful legend <em>here<em>, to Burned Tower. Suicune…"

Gold and Alice looked at Eusine, then glanced at each other. Gold nodded. "Okay, I'm Gold. This is Alice."

Eusine bowed in a flowing way. "Glad to meet you. Would you like to help me find the legend? Suicune is said to be here somewhere. I cannot find it, though."

Another man grabbed Eusine and pulled him away. "Much apologies. My friend is a little overenthusiastic. And annoying. I'm Morty. You need something?"

Gold nodded. "I came to Ecruteak to challenge you."

Morty's eyes turned from purple to gray. "Ah, yes. I have foreseen your coming. You're the last stepping-stone for me. With your defeat, I can finally become the being of legend and meet the Master Bird…"

Gold flinched, then recovered. "Whatever. Why are you here?"

Morty's eyes became purple again. "I'm helping Eusine to find Suicune. I owe him a favor."

Alice grabbed Gold's shoulder, and the two backed up. "Gold, Suicune is here. I… well, if we find it first, we could probably get Morty to battle us. As it is, he doesn't seem to care."

Gold frowned. "But he said that…" She stopped, open-mouthed.

Alice snapped her fingers in front of Gold's face. "Um… Gold? Earth to Gold?"

Gold blinked. "Silver?"

The redhead turned around. "…Oh. It's you."

Gold nodded, smiling somewhat. "Yeah. It's nice to see you again."

Silver turned to the left. "You're here to catch the legendary beasts and make yourself look strong, am I right?"

Gold was disgusted. "What is it with you? I'm not obsessed over strength like you are. I'm just trying to do the right thing."

Silver scowled. "The right thing? That's just a pathetic dream. Both the right and wrong have goals, but only the strong accomplish them. Like me. I have sworn to become the strongest trainer. Perhaps then…"

Gold didn't know what he was about to say, as Silver cut himself off. "Well, Silver, if you must know, I _am_ strong. But not _your kind _of strong. I've beaten Gym Leaders and Team Rocket Grunts."

Silver laughed. "Team Rocket Grunts? They're all weak! Sounds about right for you!"

Gold ground her teeth. "Are you trying to irritate me? Have you forgotten our trip through Ilex Forest?"

Silver shook his head. "I haven't. That trip proved to me that I need to get stronger. That was all."

Gold was exasperated. "And the notion of friendship never occurred to you?"

Silver glowered. "I don't need friends."

Gold's fingernails dug into her palms. "Then show me. Show me this 'strength' that comes without spirit."

Silver sent out his Gastly, and Firestorm attacked. "Flame Wheel!" Firestorm rammed the Gas Pokémon, who fainted. "How's that for _not holding back?_"

Silver grinned. "At least you remembered what I told you." He switched in Croconaw.

"Firestorm, Quick Attack!"

"Croconaw, Scary Face!"

Firestorm ran his shoulder into Croconaw, who roared mightily. Firestorm cringed somewhat, and Gold decided to use the Hidden Move. "Cut!"

"Croconaw, Water Gun!"

Cut hit, but Water Gun was super effective. Firestorm screamed in pain.

Gold glared. _Enough of this. _"Go, Trigger!"

Silver frowned. "Scary Face!"

Trigger jumped out of the way of the glance and thundershocked Croconaw without being ordered to. Gold's Flaaffy was a loose cannon, and Gold had no problem with unleashing her. Croconaw fainted.

"Go, Zubat!"

"Thundershock again!" The Zubat was startled and injured, but didn't go down.

"Supersonic!"

Gold smiled. "Thundershock!"

The Flaaffy sent in a brilliant flash of lightning. The sound of it blasted away all of the high-frequency sound that came from Supersonic, and Zubat went down.

Gold shook her head. "Silver, thunder would obviously drown out the small sounds your Zubat made. Why'd you do that?"

Silver growled and sent out Magnemite. Gold pulled out Trick. It was time for him to practice.

Silver hadn't fainted a single one of her Pokémon, and it seemed to aggravate him. "Out of desperation, weak people fight back well."

Gold knew the words that would hurt him. "Then why aren't you winning?"

With a feral voice, Silver yelled, "Supersonic!"

Trick evaded it, picked up a rock, and threw it at the Magnemite. It wasn't very effective, though. Gold nodded to herself. "Ah, that's right. Magnemite is dual-typed steel/electric. Low Kick!"

"Thunder Wave!"

Trick got blasted by the low-voltage wave and was paralyzed. Gold frowned. "Come on… come on…"

"Supersonic!" Trick became confused, and fell on his face.

"Sonicboom!" Silver's Magnemite unleashed a large sonic attack, which pushed Trick into a wall. Gold didn't like it, but she had to switch out. "Trigger, you're back in!"

Silver didn't hesitate. "Sonicboom!" Trigger growled deeply and tackled the Magnemite.

Gold knew she needed an advantage. "Thunder Wave!" The Magnemite became paralyzed, and Gold remembered something. "Okay, Firestorm, one more time!"

The Magnemite also used Thunder Wave, paralyzing the Quilava. "Firestorm, Flame Wheel!"

But Firestorm couldn't move, and Magnemite used Supersonic, confusing Firestorm as well. Gold shrugged. She might as well see what happened. There was no way Firestorm could lose. Fire beats steel, and Gold trusted Firestorm to utilize that advantage.

After a few instances where the Pokémon sat around, paralyzed, Firestorm shook it off and hit the Magnemite with his most powerful fire attack. Magnemite fainted.

Gold sighed, adrenaline surging through her body. "That was a little better, Silver. But still, you're missing real strength. _True strength._"

Silver could not meet her gaze. "Whatever. I don't feel like talking anymore. I'm leaving."

He pushed past Gold, and Alice stopped him. "You…?"

Silver pushed past her as well. "Get out of my way."

Alice frowned. This was one of the other two involved in the major events. What was odd, though, is that this one was not the childhood friend, but the one that was supposed to deeply be connected to Gold. What did that mean? "Who was that, Gold?"

Gold sighed. "He's… a sort of friend, I guess. We met in New Bark Town. He stole his first Pokémon. Later, we travelled through the Ilex Forest together. He doesn't really understand friendship, and thinks that the weak should be discarded… although he has a really odd definition of strength. I mostly… wish that he was a better person."

Alice understood… sort of. But Silver wasn't really important right now. What was important was the slow pulse of auras beneath their feet. "Maybe we'll meet up with him later. But for now, do you feel that? Beneath our feet?"

Gold, of course, couldn't feel auras. "What?"

Alice came up with something. "It feels like a sort of vibration. I think there's something under there."

Gold looked around. "But other than the big hole in the floor, there's no way down."

Suddenly, words started to scribe themselves on the wall. _Welcome, being of legend._

There was a shout, and Morty ran forwards. "There it is! The beasts are calling!"

_We have witnessed your struggle. Your connection with the world is astonishing, and it has woken us after so long. Step down and behold us, the Lightning Strike, the Fire, and the Winds and Rains. Behold us, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune!_

The floor depressed, and miniature gears in the floor far below pushed a ladder out of the floor.

There was a pause, and Gold tentatively walked forwards. Morty turned his head. "What are you doing?"

Gold pointed. "It said to step down. That what I'm doing."

* * *

><p>Gold, Alice, Morty, and Eusine climbed down the ladder.<p>

Gold walked forwards, seeing three large creatures. Their eyes glowed, and then they stepped out of a small crater. They came to a halt in front of the four, and Raikou jumped away. Entei followed shortly after, but Suicune stayed in front. It eyed Gold, smiling and nodding towards her. Then it also left, jumping through the hole in the ceiling.

Eusine gasped. "Did… did you see it? Suicune was there, right in front of me!"

Gold nodded. "Yes, and Raikou and Entei."

Eusine waved his hand. "Who cares about them? Filthy, filthy. Only Suicune is worthy of the title of legend, with its beautiful coat, and its purity…"

Gold ignored Eusine as he rambled on. Morty glanced at Gold. "You? The being of legend? Hardly. Come to my Gym, and I'll show you what a real legendary being is like." He climbed the ladder.

Eusine was still ecstatic. "I've been chasing the legend for ten years, and I've finally seen it!" He paused, then turned to Gold. "It was clear to me that Suicune thought you were highly respectable, for some reason. The legendary beasts have been sleeping for nearly two hundred years… and the first thing Suicune does is acknowledge your presence? A boy who probably did not know of it before today? That is insulting! Perhaps I should be more aggressive towards finding Suicune… We'll meet again, Gold, and when we do, Suicune will choose me! I'm sure of it!" He climbed up the ladder.

Alice smiled. "Wow. Suicune chose you? You must be special." _But then, I already knew that._

Gold held up her hands. "Yeah, but I don't know why. Is there something different about me? Being of legend… what the heck was that all about?"

Alice shrugged. She knew that there was going to be momentous events up ahead, but she didn't know of any legends.

* * *

><p>Her Pokémon were healed, Star was fed, and the Gym was entered. Gold looked around. "That's odd. It's so dark."<p>

Alice nodded. "Be careful. See the path? It's so narrow. You can't see the ground—it's covered in fog!"

Gold winced. She couldn't see the floor beneath the wooden bridge. The fog flowed like water.

Alice grabbed Gold's hand. "Trust me. I'll lead you through this."

Gold frowned. "The path is dark from here on! How do you expect to lead me through this? "

Alice smiled. "The dark is my element. I know how to find my way through it."

She led Gold into the black, with Gold thinking that Alice was a bit mysterious. _Dark is her element? What does that mean?_

* * *

><p>Alice was happy. <em>I'm holding Gold's hand!<em> Using her abilities, she divined the way through the darkness. Even Firestorm's back couldn't light the way, so Alice knew that the darkness was somehow… special.

They passed several elderly women who were chanting. Gold eyed them. "Who are they?"

Alice knew who they were. Her hometown in Kanto had several. "Mediums. They speak with the dead and have an affinity with ghost-type Pokémon."

They walked into the light, and Morty stood ahead. Gold turned to her friend. "Alice, how did you do that?"

Alice smiled that mysterious smile again. "I told you. Dark is my element."

Gold shrugged. "Okay, Morty. I'm here. Weren't you going to show me what a 'legendary being' is like?"

Morty looked up, his eyes gray. He smiled. "It is good that you came. Here in Ecruteak, legends mix with reality. Legends say that a rainbow-hued Pokémon will appear before a legendary being, one chosen by fate. I believe that _I_ am the being of legend. I can see what others cannot. I see… a shadow of this being of legend. This person who will make the Rainbow Pokémon appear… a truly strong trainer. And you… I saw you in the National Park with my true eye. You are the one who will reveal this being. That is to say, you will let me reach the level I require!"

Gold grinned. "You became a Gym Leader to become a legend? And with your foresight, you've eliminated most obstacles… but I don't subscribe to fate. I make my own future. Bring it, seer!"

Morty sent out a Gastly. Firestorm leaped out from behind Gold. "Firestorm, Flame Wheel!"

The tackle didn't hurt the Gastly, but the fire did. The Gastly faded and fell. Morty nodded. "Yes. You are strong. As I have forseen." He sent out a Gengar.

Gold hesitated. Gengar seemed frightening. "Again!"

Morty smiled. "Shadow Ball!"

Firestorm was blown aside by the move, and the Gengar ate a Sitrus berry to recover from the flame.

"Firestorm!" Gold threw a Super Potion.

Morty laughed. "How many of those do you have? Shadow Ball!"

Wincing, Gold threw her last Super Potion.

Morty, however, did not change strategies, so Gold decided to attack. "Flame Wheel!"

Before Firestorm could attack, though, one more Shadow Ball ended Gold's offensive. Firestorm fainted.

Gold threw out Trigger. "Thunder Wave!"

Trigger was hit by another Shadow Ball, but she managed to paralyze the Shadow Pokémon. "Thunderbolt!"

"Shadow Ball!"

The Thunderbolt struck, but Shadow Ball knocked out Trigger. "Go, Trick! Rock Throw!"

Trick didn't stand a chance. While he damaged Gengar, Shadow Ball was just too much. Trick fainted.

Gold was cursing to herself. "I have to fight with… Star? Crap. Okay, here goes nothing."

She sent out Star, who looked around. "Okay, Star. You have to attack now," she said in a cheerful voice.

"Gengar, just defeat it."

Gengar tried to use Shadow Ball, but it didn't work. Morty seemed confused. "What?"

That's when it occurred to Gold. Ghost-type moves couldn't damage normal-typed Pokémon! "Star, Extrasensory!"

The attack was super effective on the poison/ghost-type Pokémon. The Gengar fell to its knees. Morty blinked. "Defeated… by an infant? Go, Haunter!"

Alice got her friend's attention. "Gold!"

Gold turned to see Firestorm on his feet again. "Wha…?"

Alice shook her head. "Never mind! Less talk, more battle!"

Firestorm jumped back in, filling the Haunter with the pure energy of fire. The Haunter took two swings, but missed twice, falling to Flame Wheel. Gold grinned. "Alright! Go Firestorm!"

Morty sent in one last Haunter. "It's not over yet! Revive your Pokémon all you want, and I'll just beat them again! Sucker Punch!"

Haunter snuck beneath Firestorm's guard. Big mistake.

The Quilava latched on to the Haunter and bathed it in fire. It fainted.

Morty was shocked still for a moment. "No… no… How is this possible…? I… I'm the being of legend!" His eyes turned purple.

Gold walked over to Alice. "Want to explain to me how Firestorm is walking?"

Alice nodded, seeming uncomfortable. "Revive seeds. They're very rare, but… I have a potted revive plant. I crossbred it with the Kasib plant Falkner gave you, and it gave me a particular kind of seed that would revive a Pokémon from fainting while strengthening them against ghost-types. Didn't you notice? The Haunters couldn't touch Firestorm."

Gold had forgotten the Kasib plant. She face-palmed. "Why couldn't I have used a Kasib berry earlier? I had to leave it up to Star… and I didn't think that would even work!"

Morty snapped out of his shock. "Gold."

Gold turned around. "Yeah?"

Morty kneeled. "You are truly the being of legend. You are more than I am. All my plans, my lifelong plans… I have failed. I am no longer worthy of this…" He tossed a badge onto the floor in front of her. "The Fog Badge. My personal badge. I'm not going to need it anymore."

Gold picked it up. "Why? What are you going to do?"

Morty sighed, eyes shifting back to gray. "I'm thinking… I'll go to Sprout Tower and join the order there. That appeals to me, now that the weight of destiny is no longer on me… Meanwhile, you should go west and south. Your future will be best served going to Olivine City before anywhere else. And I wish you luck with Jasmine. She is perhaps… the worst of us. Make the wrong move, and she'll crush you."

Gold nodded. "You cannot undo what you have done, but perhaps you can make up for it, okay?"

Morty smiled a sad smile. "You don't know what I've done. Don't make false assumptions."

Gold turned to Alice, who led her back through the darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>And Star nets his first victory! Who knew the little guy had it in him?<strong>

**Alice is good with plants.**

**Jasmine is going to be fun.**


	8. Chapter 8: Secrets and Whispers

**Been a while, huh? Here's chapter 8.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 8: Secrets and Whispers<span>

Morty watched the two walk back the way they had come. A Medium walked up to him. "What you said… you will let the being of legend leave? And go to Sprout Tower?"

Morty gave her a grim smile. "Edith… it has been revealed to me that I am not the being of legend. That was wishful thinking on my part. But I have not come so far to give up now. I will, of course, go to Sprout Tower. But that the being of legend is that boy… it cannot be. I will send my men out to attack the boy and girl… Gold and Alice… and the being of legend will be someone else. That boy does not deserve the title."

* * *

><p>Gold and Alice entered Route 38. Gold looked at her Pokégear. "'A path that weaves through trees and ends with a farm.' Farm?"<p>

Alice shrugged. "Farm."

They waded through a sea of grass and climbed down several cliffs. Gold fought many trainers, and Alice tended to her plants during these battles.

* * *

><p>They came into an area full of fences. An old man stopped them. "Hey! Ya have one o' them Pokaydix things!"<p>

Gold was bewildered. "My… my Pokédex?"

The man nodded. "Ya! Haven't seen one o' them in ages! Not since the Champ! Th' name's Baoba!"

Alice hesitated. "Nice to meet you, Baoba."

Baoba grinned. "I use t' run a Safari Zone in Fuchsia Citeh, bu' 'twas becoming out o' date wit' new entertainment comin' out! Long story short, I opened a new Safari Zone in Cianwood!" He gave them a shady look. "May be more than a coinkerding tha' ya and I're chattin'."

Gold frowned. "What, like fate or something? Or have you been stalking us?"

Baoba laughed. "Stalkin' ya? Tha's good for lafs! Why don' ya and I give eachutha our numbers? I can give ya a call once the Safari Zone is open!"

Gold backed slightly away. This person was _way_ too friendly. "No thanks, I'd rather not."

Alice followed Gold. "Same here."

Baoba frowned. "I wasn' expectin' ya to say no. Ya can get hard-t'-find Pokémans too! Ya'd be able t' make good progress on yar Pokaydix!"

Gold snapped, "I said no!"

Baoba kept pestering them, and Gold finally gave in. "Fine! But you're only to call me when it's open! I defeated four Gym Leaders, and I won't hesitate to blast you into oblivion if you call me for anything else!"

Baoba flinched. "If ya say so…" He registered the numbers and walked away quickly.

* * *

><p>It wasn't much further until Morty's gang attacked them. All of a sudden, several ghost-type Pokémon were on top of them: Gastly and Haunter.<p>

Alice seemed to panic. "Gold! What're we going to do?"

Gold turned to her, and Alice pushed down her attraction. _Not now, we could die if I get too caught up in his handsome face!_

Gold grinned. "We're going to fight. Poison-type Pokémon are weak to psychic-type moves, so I want you to send Hypno out and Psybeam them."

Alice nodded, understanding. Gastly and Haunter have a secondary typing: poison! That's what enabled Star to defeat Morty's Gengar! She sent out Hypno. "Psybeam!"

Beside her, Gold switched to Star. "Extrasensory!"

Together, they took down the attacking group.

* * *

><p>Alice feigned excitement. "I've… I've never really won before!" she lied.<p>

Gold smiled. "This is good! You're getting out there, doing things you couldn't do before."

Alice nodded, still shaking to keep up the pretense of joy. Inwardly, she sighed. _How long will I need to keep up this persona? I wonder…_

They approached the farm, and Gold looked at the sign. "'Enjoy our fresh and tasty milk.' Hear that, Star?"

The Togepi smiled happily, feeling the joy coming from his trainer. They entered the building.

The man in charge was sitting behind a counter. "Hello, you two! How is it going?"

Gold nodded. "Fine, fine…"

The man put on an easy smile. "So what can I do for you, young man?"

Gold scratched her head. "Moomoo milk?"

The man pulled out several jugs. "Straight from the Miltank! Should be enough, right?"

Gold bought the milk, and the two left the building.

* * *

><p>Star gulped down the milk, his eyes wide. After drinking half a jug, he fell asleep. Firestorm was grinning the entire time.<p>

Alice held up a finger. "Uh, Gold? Why does Firestorm walk around with you? Why doesn't he have a Pokéball?"

Gold petted the Quilava, careful to avoid the fire. "Professor Elm gave him to me. He said it's some sort of experiment. I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to prove, but… I'm doing it anyways."

Alice stood up. "Okay. I always wondered that. Anyways, shouldn't we be going? Route 39 lies in wait."

Gold grumbled. "Route 39 can stay in wait. I'm tired. Let me rest for once."

Alice pointed at the sun, which sank lower and lower as the day went on. "This has been a long day. We went to the Burned Tower, met a few Legendary Pokémon, you fought Morty, and now we're in the middle of two Routes. Trust me when I say that you don't want to be on the Routes when night falls. It's dangerous."

Gold nodded, understanding. "Fine. I'll get off my butt and we'll go down the stupid Route."

* * *

><p>Route 39 was a downhill Route with a hodgepodge of people for challengers. They all had a shady look, and they all seemed very suspicious. Unlike many other Routes, none of the trainers gave Gold their name. Some sailors spoke of Olivine with an odd sort of fearful respect. A few people had an odd fanaticism in their eyes, and fought with a fury that didn't become them. The women all had a crazy look to them, and ran away as soon as they were defeated.<p>

None of the trainers tried to get her number, which she found surprising. _What happened to make them lose their interest in people?_

Alice shuddered at the people's auras. _Someone hurt them so much that they can't trust anyone anymore…_

* * *

><p>They passed a banner of flags and entered Olivine City. The city had a foul smell to it, and except for the banner, the city was dull and gray. There was a sort of bleak uniformity to it. A lighthouse stood tall in the distance, the only tall building in the city. It wasn't shining.<p>

Alice gave out a cry and knelt to the ground. _The darkness here… is overwhelming…_

Gold was caught off guard. "Alice? Are you okay?"

Alice gave a sick-looking smile. "I'm okay… it's just… it feels like this city has suffered so much… and it made me sad."

Gold was confused, but then her attention got fixed on the Gym. "What? Who puts the Gym right here, the first place everyone will see when they walk in?"

Alice shrugged. "Maybe Jasmine wants to remind everyone of who's in charge."

Gold read the sign. "Leader: Jasmine. The Steel-Clad Defense Girl. What an odd title."

The doors suddenly slid open, and Silver walked out.

Gold stopped. "Silver?"

Silver hesitated, then turned to her. "Hi. You again?"

Gold gave him a weak smile. "You always seem to be a step ahead of me."

Silver shrugged, giving her a look of disdain. "No need to be alert, Gold. I don't want to fight."

Gold relaxed the muscles that she didn't even know she had tightened. Every time they met, Silver fought her. She supposed she was expecting it. "Okay. So what's going on. Why were you in the Gym? Did you meet Jasmine?"

Silver shook his head. "The city's Gym Leader is supposedly taking care of a sick Pokémon at the lighthouse. I have to wonder why she just doesn't let it go. A Pokémon that's so weak is worthless."

Gold registered the conflicting information into her brain. _Jasmine? The girl who's supposed to be the worst of the worst is taking care of a sick Pokémon? That's weird…_Then the rest of what Silver said got through. "What? Worthless? Don't you feel anything towards Pokémon?"

Silver frowned. "Not towards that one. Why would I feel something towards the weak?"

Gold face-palmed. "That's a surprisingly good point, coming from you. Come on." She grabbed his arm.

Silver blinked. "What are you doing?"

Gold glared at him. "I am sick and tired of hearing you! I am going to change how you think, even if it kills you!"

Silver tried to shake her off. "Let go of me. Where are you leading me?"

Gold was pulling him along. "A hotel. You're staying with us, and we're going to see Jasmine together."

Alice frowned. "Uh… Gold? Is that a good idea, considering…"

Gold turned around. "Considering what?" She kept a tight grip on the redhead.

Alice put her hands behind her back. "Well, he's got a history of anger, from what I've been told… he's somewhat destructive, and doesn't care about those he thinks are 'weak…' And you think he'd be okay with being in a hotel room with you?"

Gold paused. "A hotel room with me?"

Alice gave her an odd look. "Um… yeah. You're both boys. Nothing wrong with you two staying together. And you're not going to rent a third room. He'd escape without anyone keeping an eye on him."

Silver glared. "Quit talking about me as if I'm not here!"

Gold thought about it. "I have some escape rope. It might double as tie-Silver-up rope…"

Silver looked downright murderous.

Alice chuckled. "I say we ask him whether he plans to escape or not."

Silver sighed. "I'm staying with you either way, right?"

Gold nodded. "Yep. I'm going to show you friendship whether you like it or not. If need be, I'll cram friendship down your throat."

Silver grumbled. "I don't want to be friends with a weakling like you."

Alice tried to contain her irritation. _This person is supposed to be close to Gold somehow. And yet he treats Gold as if he's substandard. What happened to Silver to make him this way? I hope Gold succeeds in moving that heart of stone…_

Gold shrugged. "I said whether you like it or not, and I meant it. You're going to get empathy, and you're going to like it. Where's a hotel?"

Alice frowned. "Wait… Gold? How do you keep paying for all these hotels? Are you made of money?"

Gold sighed. "Have you not been paying attention? There's this custom… the loser of a Pokémon battle has to pay the winner with half of their money. I refused to do it at first, but the custom's everywhere, and I needed money. I think that the custom will be the first thing I'll move to reform after the Gym Leaders are vanquished."

Silver growled. "I never paid you anything."

Gold nodded. "Understandable. You don't like me for some reason."

* * *

><p>Morty walked into Mahogany Town and stood outside the Gym. He knew that the cameras would make Pryce aware of his presence.<p>

Sure enough, Pryce and his burly bodyguards came outside. "Morty… my fellow Leader. How goes it with you?"

Morty shrugged. "Tolerable, Pryce. Tolerable."

Pryce smiled, leaning on his cane. "And what are you doing? Why is the most independent of the Gym Leaders standing outside my humble abode?"

Morty's eyes shifted to gray. "There is a boy, named Gold. He's touched by prophecy. He is the being of legend."

Pryce cocked his head to the right. "I thought you always claimed to be the subject of the old legend."

Morty shook his head. "I did. It's not true, though. I was deluding myself… Gold truly is the being of legend, without a doubt. But the legend's not why I'm here."

Pryce looked curious. "Oh?"

Morty tightened his hand into a fist, eyes turning purple once more. "Gold is defeating the Gym Leaders."

Pryce's face betrayed his shock before he could hide it. "How many? Which ones?"

Morty listed them off. "Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, and myself. He's going after Jasmine next. Falkner became a good guy all of a sudden, Bugsy was subject to a revolt, Whitney didn't really matter anyways, and I…" He paused. "I'm headed to Sprout Tower to avoid Gold. When he comes back to Ecruteak, I don't want to be there."

Pryce frowned. "Losing Falkner's resources and Bugsy pharmaceuticals… as well as your divinations… a large loss. Whitney… her father was impressive, but I could care less for the little brat. Do you wish to work for me?"

Morty laughed. "Nah. I know how you work, and I'm not interested in your business. I've also heard rumors that you've allowed Team Rocket to set up a base here, and I want nothing to do with them. I'm only here to warn you of Gold. I hope you'll set up… accommodations for him. With Gold out of the picture, I can return to power in Ecruteak. Best of luck, Pryce."

Pryce chuckled. "Luck? Ha! That's funny, coming from a seer. Don't you know what will happen?"

Morty grinned. "I see shadows of what will come. They become brighter and brighter until the event has occurred. And then I see them clearly, and they become part of the past. Also, the fact that I thought of myself as the being of legend for so long… kind of makes me unqualified to tell you who would win in this situation."

Pryce shifted his weight. "Ah, well. Jasmine will beat him. I must confess I do not like her, but she is nonetheless ruthless. This Gold boy will be stopped in Olivine. I doubt he'll even make it out alive. By the way, have you warned anyone else?"

Morty gave a short laugh. "Are you serious? Chuck is too bigheaded to listen, and Clair is too busy with her training to even care. She wouldn't do anything with the news even if I told her."

Pryce smiled. "Ah, well. Many thanks for this information. I will put it to good use."

* * *

><p>Gold shifted uncomfortably on her bed. <em>There's a boy… sleeping in a room with me.<em>

She agreed very much with Alice that boys and girls shouldn't sleep in the same room as each other, and her disguise made it… difficult to protest. She sometimes wondered if she should tell Alice, but always rejected the idea. _If she was captured by the Gym Leaders… well, my gender is my greatest secret and greatest weapon. If they think I'm a boy, they'll expect me to act a certain way… but if they know I'm a girl, they might accurately predict what I'm going to do…_

Silver rolled on his side, facing away from her. The first thing the redhead did as he entered the room was search for all available exits. He noted the vents, the windows, and the locked door to the next room, where Alice was sleeping. Only after he was satisfied he knew the room through and through did he take off his shirt and fall asleep.

It was lucky he didn't notice Gold blushing. _Arceus, I'm an idiot. To get so flustered over such a small thing as a shirtless boy! Then again, I've never seen a shirtless boy before now… I never went to the beach and never really had any male friends…_

Gold looked down at her own shirt. _As boyish as I am, he'll still know I'm a girl if I take off my shirt. It'd be obvious. Oh well… that's a small price to pay. It's not like I run around topless all the time._

She wondered why she brought Silver with her. He was intriguing, but she didn't exactly know how. _Is this pity? Do I pity him for his attitude? Is this my idea of trying to make friends? I want him to be my friend… I know that much. But why did I kidnap him like this?_ Her behavior didn't make any more sense to her as it did to either of her companions.

* * *

><p>Alice was sitting up in her bed. Hypno looked up at her master. "No, no. I don't really understand it either. I don't know why Silver is connected to Gold. From what he's said, Silver has met him a few times before, and even travelled with him briefly…"<p>

Hypno suggested something, and Alice nodded. "I know. Silver's past… that has had a great effect on his aura and personality. You can see shades of something swirling around his heart… but what is it?"

Hypno sighed. "Yeah, who is the other one? The third one? The childhood friend? And how does this all fit together?"

Alice looked out the window, into the night. "I told Gold before that the dark was my element… and that's sort of true… but not quite, eh?"

Hypno nodded. Alice leaned back. "If he knew who I was… if he knew who my sister was… would he still be my friend? And would my dreams still be possible? Could he love me too?"

Hypno shrugged, and then asked a question. "Oh yeah! I remember how we started out from home. Do you remember _him?_ And the little girl? Ah, yes. Good times. I wonder how that little girl's doing…"

Hypno and Alice laughed together at the memories. Then Alice laid her head on her pillow. "Well, that's enough talk, I guess. Hypnosis and Dream Eater."

Alice was asleep, and the nightmares were eaten away.

* * *

><p>Falkner glared at the crowd. "While I understand I have never been the best leader of this city, I <em>am <em>improving. I've been working steadily to make up for the past. So can someone, anyone tell me who _tried to burn my Gym down?_"

The people in the crowd looked at each other. Ever since Falkner improved and started his rebuilding efforts, he was universally liked, especially since the hero Gold approved of him. They didn't know who would do such a drastic thing, and they wished that the one who set the fire would get caught.

After no suggestions were put forth, Falkner turned away. "Perhaps it was an accident… although I doubt it. There's nothing that could create a spark anywhere near where the blaze started."

* * *

><p>Morty sat in Sprout Tower, immersed in a trance, his eyes gray with prophecy. "So fire does not work… maybe lightning? A jolt of lightning to blast the birds… to destroy the Aerias line… but ah, electricity… that is not me. I will find some other way to deal with the fool."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>This leg of the journey brought to you by… Moomoo Milk! Selling you milk since Miltank existed!<strong>

**Baoba's drawl was fun. I always imagine him speaking like that.**

**Jasmine's coming up. Boy is this going to be fun. **


	9. Chapter 9: Cold

**Chapter 9. Not much to say. Jasmine will be appearing.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 9: Cold<span>

Silver woke up to crying. His mind tried to process it, but failed. All he could do was flail around randomly as the noise continued. "Gold…! What in Johto is that?"

Gold pulled out the jug of Moomoo milk and fed Star. "Good morning, Silv!"

Silver frowned. "Don't call me Silv. Anyways, what was that?"

Gold pointed at Star. "He does that every morning. He needs to get fed. Sorry if it woke you up…"

Silver peered at the Togepi. "Uh… why do you go on an adventure with a baby Pokémon?"

Gold laughed. "Not like I had a choice. Once he hatched, I couldn't just leave him."

Silver woozily got out of bed, looking for his shirt. "Well, since I'm awake anyways…" He started to stretch and do exercises.

Gold blinked and looked away, uncomfortable. "What are you… doing?"

Silver looked up. "I need to stay in shape. This is an excellent way of doing it and waking up at the same time."

Gold nodded, finished packing, and stepped out of the room. "Alright. I'll go look for Alice."

* * *

><p>The trio ran up the stairs. Gold pointed at the lighthouse. "You say the Gym Leader's up there?"<p>

Silver nodded, clearly considering this venture distasteful. "Taking care of a weakling, yeah."

Gold glared, and then walked into the tall building.

* * *

><p>Alice grunted. "Out of order… out of order…"<p>

Gold frowned. "Yeah. Why do you keep repeating that?"

Alice fumed. "I have to remind myself why we're going up the long way. I _hate_ stairs!" The elevator to the top had been out of order, so they had to climb. Not only that, but trainers kept appearing, attacking them.

Silver gave her a funny glance. "If you're not willing to go up this, you should probably stay downstairs."

Alice shook her head. "No. I'll travel anywhere with Gold. Even up forty flights of stairs."

Gold hesitated, thinking about the implications of the statement, but was distracted by another trainer who said rather eerily, "Kids? This is no place for playing… You might get hurt."

* * *

><p>Silver was rather awed by Gold's relentless drive. <em>Is this what he meant by true strength? <em>As Gold floored another trainer, this one claiming she was going to see the Gym Leader, Silver frowned. One thing was certain. _If I'm going to beat him, I'm going to need to get stronger. A lot stronger. And to do that, I will need to train more…_

Gold looked around. "Um… where now?" The area appeared to end abruptly.

Alice frowned. She could feel someone's aura above them, but could not understand how to proceed. "Eh… why would they just end this here?"

Gold went to the window and looked out. "Amazing. It's almost as if there's no glass here." She paused. "Probably because there isn't."

Silver was confused. "What?"

Gold pointed. "There's a ladder… leading up."

Alice was bewildered. "Why would they do such an unsafe thing? We're on the third floor!"

Gold shuddered. "Don't remind me."

* * *

><p>On the fourth floor, they met a pair of sailors. "Who are you?"<p>

Gold answered honestly. She didn't see how it could hurt. "We're here to see Jasmine."

One sailor turned to the next. "Well, Roberto? Should we let them go?"

The other sailor shrugged. "Might as well. Here's the ladder. Be aware that Jasmine is not currently accepting challengers."

The trio thanked them and climbed to the final floor.

* * *

><p>The fifth floor contained a person, a Pokémon, and the elevator exit.<p>

The person was a girl, perhaps in her twenties, with brown hair that stuck out of ponytails. She wore a simple blue and white dress, with an orange bow over her heart.

The Pokémon was yellow, with a strange tail that ended in a red sphere. Another, similar red sphere was laid in its forehead.

Gold walked closer. "Jasmine?"

The girl recoiled somewhat. "Even with the elevator out, there is one determined to seek me."

Gold hesitantly took another step. "What… what's going on?"

Jasmine gestured. "This Pokémon… always lights up our lighthouse. It suddenly got diseased. It's gasping for air."

Gold frowned. This was the worst Gym Leader? The girl seemed compassionate. Nothing about her indicated that she could create the wave of darkness and despair on the city that existed.

Jasmine frowned. "It is broken. And without it, the shipments cannot arrive. It is hurting my business."

Gold's thoughts instantly turned around. This was not concern for the Pokémon, but concern for money.

One of the sailors, the one called Roberto, climbed up the ladder. "Lady Jasmine?"

Jasmine barely moved from the Pokémon. "Yes?"

Roberto sighed. "There is a matter that requires your attention."

Jasmine nodded, and the sailor coughed, eyeing the three pointedly. Jasmine shrugged. "I care not if these three are here. Spit it out."

Roberto nodded. "Mr. Tucker Alanson. He still hasn't made enough money to pay his debt. He's about to come upon a large amount of money, though, from his other business with his Bugsy contact. He's begging for another extension on the payment date. Shall I grant him it?"

Jasmine frowned. "It has not paid before, even when I asked it to pay. I warned it that this was the final date. And its other business with the one of the bugs… that will not be enough. I will not profit off of it."

"My lady?"

Jasmine raised a hand to her chin, and Gold wondered what she would do. Beat the guy? Burn his house down? Hopefully, let him go.

Alice realized she was shivering. Why? Because Jasmine called this Mr. Alanson "it," and not "he."

Jasmine snapped her fingers. "Harvest it."

Roberto hesitated. "My lady?"

Jasmine started nodding. "Open it and claim its organs. They will sell for higher on the black market then it will ever make dealing with the bugs."

The trio's mouths opened in shock, and Roberto nodded once more. "It will be done, my lady." He left.

Jasmine turned to the trio. "I cannot fight here. I must tend to this Pokémon to keep it alive. Without the lighthouse, those in my boats could crash into the rocks. This would hurt my business further. If this Pokémon ceased to function, I would need to waste time and resources looking for another."

Alice flinched. She could no longer hold the girl's gaze.

Gold nearly threw up. The amount of inhumanity that Jasmine exhibited was sickening.

Silver, though, stared into those eyes. After what he had been through, after his past… this was just another manipulator. This was just another person who felt a need for control… and got it. And like the others, Jasmine had weakness…

Jamine seemed in thought again. "I understand there is a pharmacy in Cianwood that uses the bugs' pharmaceuticals and turns them into medicine. But that's across the sea. And I cannot leave this Pokémon by itself. But if the three in front of me were to get the medicine and bring it back, I would be able to resume shipments. Go to it."

She reached over and pressed the elevator button. It opened, much to Alice's dismay. "I only put an 'out of order' sign on the lower door. I would not actually break the elevator. It would be inconvenient for me. Leave, and bring me the medicine."

* * *

><p>Alice shuddered. Jasmine's aura… so dark. No light in it. No friendship, no love, no attachment. Just a hole where her heart should've been.<p>

Silver led the group away, his thoughts focused. If he was going with Gold and his fangirl anyways, he might as well help. "Route 40's a water Route. We're going to need Surf…"

Gold looked up. "What? What are you talking about?"

"The way to Cianwood City."

Gold's anger rose. "You think of such things now! Did you not just notice what Jasmine said? What she _was?_"

Silver nodded. "I noticed."

Gold glared. "How is it that you're perfectly fine? How could you not be disturbed by that?"

Silver shrugged, which made Gold feel even more angry. "What, are you so drowned in despair that you don't recognize it? Do you feel no empathy; are you one of those nameless automatons we saw in the lighthouse? Are you emotionless?"

Silver looked up. The edge of his mouth twitched.

"Or is it that you have seen so many of these people that you have ceased to care?"

Silver's cold disposition ignited slightly, and Alice sensed it. "Gold…"

Silver growled. "You don't understand me. You don't understand me at all."

"Oh, even if I don't, I want to at least try. Tell me why that didn't disturb you. Were you impressed with her 'strength?' Could that be it?"

Silver shook his head in frustration. "No. She was weak."

Gold walked forwards. "Then what is it? If you don't answer me, I'll just keep asking!"

Silver held out his hand. "Gold."

Gold paused, still angry that he seemed so coldhearted. "Yeah?"

Silver took a deep breath, then let it out quickly, holding back his emotions. Gold noticed, wondering at it. _Did I just get under his skin with something I said?_

Silver stood still for a few seconds, composing himself. _For some reason, I don't want him angry with me. And I don't want to be angry at him. Our conversations before… those were just banter, trash-talk. I didn't really feel anything, except perhaps awe. This is probably the first time anyone's really talked to me, asked what I really feel…_

Gold waited, nervousness replacing anger. _Dammit! I just said that to the person I want to be my friend. Is he going to hate me? Still, what happened to him to make it so that even Jasmine didn't bother him? Is he going to tell me?_

The moments dragged on… _Silver, whatever you're going to say, it'll be better than this silence! Please, say something!_

Silver let another breath out. "Gold, I have seen too many people like her. And not enough like you. You ask me why I don't feel anything over that depravity… but I ask you this, for I don't know the answer… Why do you feel so much?"

Gold froze. Of all the things Silver could've said, this was the one that confused her most. "I… I…"

Silver walked closer. "Gold. I can't pretend to know you, or know what's in your brain. And I hate having to hide myself by being someone else; I make no secret about who or what I am. I don't know who I would be if I just simply pretended as if I felt your strange disgust at corruption. I certainly would not be Silver; I would be someone else with Silver's name. I will not pretend to feel what you do simply to placate you.

"I know you're trying to show me these feelings, trying to teach me them. I know you are… Well then, teach me. But until then, don't get in my way. Don't get in my way by trying to force me to be someone other than Silver."

Alice nodded. This was an acceptable resolution. This would keep it so that Gold and Silver could travel with each other.

Gold stayed silent for a few more moments. "You… you're right, Silver. I'm sorry. Even if I don't understand you, I shouldn't try to force you to be anything you're not."

* * *

><p>Falkner looked around. Acts of sabotage continued to occur. It was getting annoying. Paint buckets in bad places, hinges that disconnected with impossibly bad timing, graffiti, theft, vandalism, etcetera, etcetera…<p>

All in less than a day.

It was as if a group of people decided that the way Falkner was going with his leadership was bad, and that they wanted to return to the way he led before. Which didn't make sense. How could someone enjoy being beaten down for cash? That's what he did before Gold came along…

* * *

><p>Morty sat in Sprout Tower, meditating on the shadows in his mind.<p>

For the short time that he had been there, he had messed with Falkner's plans, using his revived Pokémon to strike from nowhere. Why? Because Falkner had grown soft, like his father before him.

The others knew how to stay in power. Even Whitney had ordered others to be beaten, and she was a mere child! How could Falkner expect to keep his territory with _kindness?_ It fell to Morty to reprimand him, albeit slowly and mostly ineffectively…

If only he had not sent his gang after Gold, then he would be able to attack better.

Cursing himself once more, he examined the threads of the future: images that slowly revealed themselves to him.

He watched the being of legend's thread, peering into the possibilities, divining the path. Gold was headed towards a match with Chuck, then. The outcome of it… he would not be able to see that until the moment before it occurred, due to the sheer amount of chance that was involved. But if he knew Chuck, then Gold would not have an easy time.

Returning to the present, his eyes shifted to their regular regal purple color. He slowly stood up, stretching the limbs that were still for so long. He would watch and he would wait, and until Gold was defeated, he would stay here and amuse himself by punishing this upstart Falkner Aerias III.

* * *

><p>Gold stared incredulously at the waves. "You weren't kidding. I need Surf?"<p>

Silver nodded. "If you're going to go on, you'll need Surf."

Gold frowned. "But… but… I don't have a Pokémon that can learn Surf."

Silver shrugged. "You can borrow one of mine until you get your own, alright?"

Alice held out a ball of her own. "You have an extra, Silver? Good, because I only have one Pokémon with Surf."

Silver gave Gold a Pokéball. "This is Krabby. I caught this worthless guy a while back. I'm holding onto him until I can trade him away, but you can borrow him for awhile."

Gold frowned. "Why are you only keeping a Pokémon until you can trade it away? That's kind of sad."

Silver laughed sourly. "It's common practice among those with Pokémon. You might not know it just by looking at the Routes, but there's actually less people with Pokémon than you think."

Gold pulled out the HM. "You can teach this to your Croconaw, right?"

Silver nodded. "I'm willing to weaken Croconaw for this. Unlike Cut, Surf is very powerful. If we ever battle again, I'll show you."

Gold held up her hand. "Let's hold off on that, at least for awhile, okay?"

* * *

><p>Silver sat quietly on his Croconaw as they surfed on Route 40. Alice sat on top of her own water-type Pokémon, Starmie. Gold, though, was having a difficult time.<p>

Gold did not understand how _this_ was Surf. The word "surf" implied riding atop the waves on something. Instead, the Pokémon pulled her along while she got dragged behind; it was too small to ride on top. Hopefully she'd get a larger water-type of her own soon, or she'd have to take a face full of water every time she tried the move.

The few trainers here were swimmers. The group of swimsuited people did not even try to battle, which Gold felt she understood. It would be too hard to fight on the open sea without any solid footing.

* * *

><p>Gold, cold and achy, was the first to hear the roar. "Um, guys? What's that?"<p>

Silver waved his hand nonchalantly. "Oh, that's just the whirlpools."

Gold and Alice fell into shock, and the two girls spoke at once. "What?"

Gold thought she detected a smirk. "Silver… why didn't you tell us…?"

"Because they're so small that unless you go up to them, you can just avoid them. They're no problem. Don't worry about them."

Gold looked at her Pokégear. "Route 41. 'A rough spot where whirlpools block off a few islands.' Hm… have they tried flying to them? The islands, I mean?"

Silver nodded. "Yeah, but anyone who tries to get to them via flight gets stuck in a sudden miniature storm. They drown or get knocked away. The sea beneath us is probably filled with the skeletons of hundreds who have tried to get to them."

Gold shuddered, and it wasn't from the cold. "Okay. Let's just move on, please?"

Alice held up a hand. "Seconded."

* * *

><p>After several more bone-chilling hours, they arrived at Cianwood City.<p>

Gold climbed to shore, drenched through and through. "C-c-c-c-c-cold…"

Alice hugged her. "Hey, let's try to warm you up…"

Gold dislodged from her arms. "I-I-I-I j-just n-need to ch-change into d-dry c-clothes."

Silver pointed. "There's a bathroom in the Pokémon Center."

Gold nodded, not thinking ahead. "O-o-o-okay."

* * *

><p>Gold was now in the men's bathroom at the Pokémon Center, a place she never had expected to be in. <em>Why do I get myself into these situations? Better yet, how?<em>She knew how- Silver had pulled her in there without a second thought.

Pulling on her shirt, she opened the stall door, glad for the fact that no one but she and Silver were in the room. "Let's g-go."

Silver looked her up and down. "What, do you have twenty of the same outfit?"

Gold sneezed. "I think I might be coming down with a cold."

Silver shrugged. "If you're strong, you'll get over it."

_What is it with him and strength?_"Firestorm… let me warm up, buddy?"

She settled down near the Quilava's flames, getting the feeling back into her arms. Firestorm barked.

Alice walked up to the other two. "So, guess what?"

Gold looked up. "You find the medicine place?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, and this city has a Gym Leader. His name's Chuck."

Gold shivered, inching closer to Firestorm. "Great. Another one. You find a hotel? I don't feel well, and it's nearly five-thirty in the afternoon. We'll get the medicine and relax the rest of the day. After fighting Chuck, we'll go back to Jasmine and cure that poor Pokémon."

Alice frowned. "There aren't any hotels here. Just some guy who lets people rent out rooms."

Gold thought about it for a second. "That's who we'll want to see."

* * *

><p>The three entered the medicine shop. It was an old wooden building.<p>

Gold walked up to the camera, where a single person was watching TV. "Um… hello?"

The man turned to her. "Yeah?"

Gold examined him. He had a brown mustache and glasses. "We need some special medicine."

The man looked past her at Firestorm. "Your Pokémon seems to be fine."

Alice pushed past Gold. "It's for a Pokémon of Jasmine's in Olivine City."

The man flinched and nearly fell over. "J-Jasmine? She wants some of my medicine?"

Silver sighed. Was this man hard of hearing? "Yeah, weren't you listening?"

The man winced. "Which Pokémon?"

"The Pokémon that lights up the lighthouse," Gold said.

The man started muttering to himself. "Ampharos? What's it suffering from?"

Alice described the symptoms, and the man stepped back, pulling out a box and taking a vial from it. "This is Secretpotion. Careful with this, eh? I don't want any more people from Jasmine coming here."

* * *

><p>Alice pointed. "The house is that way."<p>

They walked past a house that had a tripod camera near it, and Gold read the sign. She stopped, much to the surprise of her companions. Silver looked annoyed. "What is it now?"

"The house of Cameron, the photographer! 'Take a beautiful photo of yourself in striking poses!' It's that creepy guy from Route 35!"

Silver was indifferent. "Come on. Who cares about a perverted guy with a camera?"

Alice seemed in thought. "Actually, I think he's a famous photographer from Kanto. He's not perverted at all. He does magazines and other things like that."

Gold shuddered. "I think he runs a side business, Alice. A naughty side business. He was _way_ creepy when I met him."

* * *

><p>Walking north, Alice gestured to a narrow path between two six-foot-high cliffs. "It's up there."<p>

Gold walked first, and stopped at the top. "Whoa…"

Silver and Alice also stopped. Alice gaped. "It's… it's…" _How in the world did I miss that aura up ahead?_

Silver nodded with an amazed look on his face. "Suicune."

Suicune took a few tentative steps forwards and came to a stop in front of Gold. A sort of purity rolled off of it. Gold was reminded of the words in the Burned Tower. _Being of legend…_

Smiling at Gold, Suicune leaped majestically away, as if trying to say, _"Try and catch me."_

It fled across the sea, running on the water's surface as if it were solid.

Awed, the trio stared. And then someone grabbed Gold's shoulders. "AAAAAAH!"

Alice frowned. "It's Eusine! Hello, Eusine."

Eusine grinned. "Yo, Gold, Alice, and redhead."

Silver grunted. "Name's Silver."

Eusine stared off in the direction Suicune had gone. "I only caught a glimpse, but I saw Suicune, awesomely racing across yonder waves."

Gold made a bewildered face. "Is it just me, or are you speaking even stranger than when we met?"

Eusine waved his arms in an arc. "It is beautifully powerful, with a grand build and flowing shape. It races across towns and fields in abandon, its speed greater than the wind. It's wonderful… I wish to see it up close, to caress its soft blue skin."

Silver was firmly convinced that this person wasn't at all right in the head. "He's crazy."

Alice snickered. "But he's serious."

Silver frowned. "You don't need to be silly to be crazy."

Eusine pointed at Gold. "I will battle _you_, Gold! If I win, I will earn Suicune's respect! Let's battle now!"

Gold put a hand to her forehead. It was becoming warmer by the second. "Okay, but let's make it quick."_ Before the worst of this illness starts._

Eusine threw a Pokéball, and a Drowzee came out. "Drowzee, Disable!"

"Firestorm, Flame Wheel!"

Firestorm hit, but then his fire stopped. Gold was confused. "What?"

Silver sighed. Gold was strong, but didn't even know basic moves? "Gold, you won't be able to use Flame Wheel for a few minutes!"

Gold nodded. "Got it! Swift!"

This was a new move that Gold had learned right before meeting Jasmine. Firestorm jumped away from the Hypnosis Pokémon and flung stars from nowhere at it.

Gold grinned. "It never misses."

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. "Drowzee, Hypnosis!"

Firestorm fell asleep, but Gold was prepared. She threw an Awakening as Eusine shouted, "Dream Eater!"

Firestorm woke up, and the attack did nothing. "Quick Attack, Firestorm!"

At lightning speed, the Drowzee fainted.

Gold evaluated her options. _Hmm… he has two more Pokémon on his belt, and Trick needs practice…_ "Go, Trick!"

"Electrode, your turn!" Eusine shouted flamboyantly.

It was perhaps the weirdest thing Gold had seen. It looked like a Pokéball fighting a tree. "Trick, Rock Throw!"

Trick picked up a loose rock from the sand and flung it, but the Electrode shrugged it off and responded with a blast of lightning from the sky, which missed.

Jumping close, Trick aimed a kick, but the Electrode sent out a large electrical discharge, which struck the Sudowoodo just right. Hitting a nearby rock, Trick fainted.

Gold frowned. This wasn't going well. "Firestorm, come back in!" The Quilava ran forwards, already starting a Flame Wheel.

The Electrode struck Firestorm with Thunder, and managed to survive the Flame Wheel. Gold took in the situation. _It's faster, and one more Thunder will faint Firestorm. Could I wait him out?_ She threw a Super Potion.

Electrode struck again, but Gold threw another while Firestorm was knocked off-balance. _It can't just keep shooting those things. It should run out of energy soon…_

Eusine seemed offended by Gold's liberal Potion use. "Cheap!"

Gold smiled. "Actually, it's a legitimate move. And your time is up."

Eusine looked up. Electrode was gasping, trying to throw another lightning bolt from the clear sky. "Flame Wheel!"

But Firestorm did not move quickly enough. The Electrode got off another Thunder, and Gold realized that she needed to switch out or risk Firestorm fainting. "Sorry, buddy," she murmured. "Go, Trigger!"

The Ball Pokémon fired off a Sonicboom, but Trigger growled and dodged, tackling.

The Electrode tried to roll and crush Trigger. It succeeded, causing the Flaaffy to faint, but not before Trigger's Static caused paralysis.

Gold didn't like it, but she needed to use Firestorm again. _Eusine's actually pretty good with this one Pokémon. _"Flame Wheel!"

Because of Electrode's paralysis, it could not respond quickly enough. Electrode finally fainted.

Eusine laughed. "I fainted two of your Pokémon! Here goes the rest of yours! Go, Haunter!"

Alice, watching nearby, smiled. _Big mistake. By now, Gold _has_ to be a master of fighting the Gastly evolutionary tree._

Gold smiled as well. "Firestorm, we can do this!" The Quilava cheered, billowing out his fire to its greatest extent.

Eusine winced as it struck. "Hypnosis!" Firestorm fell asleep immediately as Haunter made subconscious suggestions to him.

Gold laughed. "Is that the only thing you know how to do? Put 'em to sleep and eat their dreams?"

Alice shifted uncomfortably. That was how she slept soundly every night.

Haunter gave a Mean Look to Gold as she threw an Awakening. "Okay, final blow! Flame Wheel!"

The Haunter was knocked out of the air. Eusine sighed. "I hate to admit it, but you win. I start to see why Suicune is watching you. But I will keep searching! Alas, it may be that its heart will change! We will meet again, my boy. Farewell!"

Eusine left dramatically.

* * *

><p>After a visit to the Pokémon Center and renting out a room, Gold collapsed into bed. She was not feeling well at all. <em>Fighting someone like that… ugh, what was I thinking? It only made it worse.<em>

Silver looked down on her. "We going to be able to leave tomorrow?"

Gold held her stomach. "I don't think so. We might have to stay here for a few days or something."

Her already hot temperature was skyrocketing. Silver put a hand on her head. "Great. An inconvenience. Of all places to break down, why here?"

Gold glared at him as she pulled the covers up to her shoulders. "Because your stupid Krabby wasn't big enough to ride on."

Silver nodded. "I see. Maybe you'll get lucky and it will evolve. What kind of Pokémon would you want to Surf on? What do you see yourself having?"

Gold mumbled, and Silver didn't quite hear what she said. _Oh well. He'll have to get one eventually._

Gold looked around. "Where's Alice? She supposed to be sharing the room with us. The guy didn't have enough rooms to rent out."

Silver frowned. "Yeah, where is she? I know that she doesn't want to sleep in here with us guys or whatever, but she can't possibly be sleeping anywhere else."

Alice walked in, dressed in a blue T-shirt and black shorts. "Gold? You okay?"

Gold shook her head. "No. I might be in a few days. But right now, I think I need sleep."

Alice nodded. "Hey, Silver. So long as I'm staying in here, a few things: one, don't go near my stuff. Two, you're required to take care of Gold while he's sick. He might need something; you'll provide it. Three, do not ever, ever disturb me while I'm asleep. You don't want to know what happens."

Silver gave her an angry look. "Why are you treating me like I'm planning to do something bad?"

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Gold, you too. Don't touch my stuff and don't disturb my sleep."

Gold was already asleep, and Alice's face softened. _So handsome. _"Okay, when Gold wakes up, I'll tell him then. You're not the only person subject to my rules."

Silver glared at her. "Why am I subject to them in the first place?"

There was a pause, and then Alice eerily said, "Because there will be a lot of suffering if you don't."

Silver was creeped out, but continued speaking. "Okay, but does this mean you'll be sharing a room with us from now on? I was talking to Gold yesterday, and he was complaining about how expensive it was."

"I'll think about it." _I'd need to find some other time to talk to Hypno. But she can still do Hypnosis and Dream Eater from her ball, so I'm fine in that regard._

* * *

><p><strong>Once I started writing, I couldn't stop! Fifteen pages on Word.<strong>

**Jasmine… words can not express how I feel about her. I think that I hit my intended mark with her.**

**A little talk between Gold and Silver. I think they both needed it.**

**I was told that it didn't make sense why Morty was messing with Falkner last chapter. I meant to put the reason in then, but edited it out because it didn't fit at that moment. Sorry about that.**

**Gold's a bit ill from Pokémon that know Surf but wouldn't actually be big enough to ride on. **

**Seriously, there's too many Gastly/Haunter/Gengar in HG/SS. **


	10. Chapter 10: Kirk, Double Agent

**Hello! Been some time; I had other things that needed doing.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 10: Kirk, Double Agent<span>

Gold's mom smiled as she watched Lyra and Whitney at play. The two had become great friends in seven days and were quite inseparable. She turned to Mike. "What was Whitney's dad like?"

Mike rubbed his chin in remembrance. "Rather resourceful. He didn't rule with an iron fist, simply because he didn't need to. The sheer amount of people and things in Goldenrod City allowed him to pretty much do anything. He gave Whitney everything she wanted. When he died so young, it was very surprising. Especially because it wasn't from assassination."

Gold's mother looked down on the two little girls again. "Despite hardships, children always seem to manage to pull through."

Mike looked up. "Speaking of, have you heard from Gold?"

Gold's mom frowned. "That whirlwind child of mine… I'll call right now."

* * *

><p>Gold woke to the ringing of her phone. It was a nice change from waking to Star. She coughed, then answered. "Yeah?"<p>

It was her mom. "Hey, Gold. How are you, sweetie? We haven't talked in awhile."

Gold winced. "I'm not so good right now. I'm sick."

"What? You're sick? What's wrong?"

Gold sighed. "It's just a small cold, mom. I've got some friends to help me out. I should be better in a few days."

Her mom paused. "Who are these friends of yours?"

Gold gave a short laugh. "Silver and Alice. They've been travelling with me. Don't worry. Alice has a hard time keeping focused and Silver is unable to express himself, but they're good people. I think."

Alice entered through the door carrying a bag. "Gold?"

Gold looked over. "Alright, mom. I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"I love you too. Hope you feel better, sweetie."

Alice sat down on the end of Gold's bed. "So how are you?"

Gold grunted. "Better… I think."

Alice smiled. "Well, it's been three days since we came to Cianwood City. I would hope you're feeling better. I bought some medicine at the pharmacy that should help." She handed Gold a bottle.

Gold stared at it. "What's in this?"

Alice shrugged. "Vitamin D, Vitamin C, a few oils and extracts. All natural, I think."

Gold read the label. "'Take a teaspoon three times daily.' I hope this helps."

Silver woke up. "Eh…? What are you guys doing?"

Gold took the medicine, swallowing it despite the bitter taste. "Not much."

Silver looked at Star, who was sleeping next to Gold's other Pokémon. "How come I got to sleep in? Why didn't he wake me up?"

Gold looked over. "I think he's getting better at this morning thing. Or it could be because you woke up an hour earlier than you normally do."

Silver checked the clock. "So I did." He got up and started his exercises.

Alice checked her plants. "Hmm… another Revive seed is growing. It normally takes a long while to grow all the way. The ones I bred with Kasib berries seem to be a weaker strain and are unable to create seeds of their own… so no more of them. Ooh! More Pecha berries! Delicious."

Gold smiled and nodded, although she wasn't sure what Pecha berries were. "So… Silver? You checked out the Gym yesterday?"

Silver nodded. "I did."

"And?"

Silver looked up. "The Gym Leader's right out in front, although you'll have a hard time getting his attention."

Gold frowned. "What do you mean?"

Silver had a worried look on his face. Gold thought it looked weird, considering she had never seen Silver worried before. "You know what I think about strength? Well… this guy… he's standing underneath a waterfall! He's so strong that the pressure is nothing to him. If I were you, I'd have second thoughts about challenging him."

Gold sighed. _Physical strength? That's what it takes for him to be impressed?_"Silver, you think he's strong because he's standing underneath a waterfall?"

Silver shook his head. "No, I think he's strong because he has the willpower to meditate without moving underneath hundreds of pounds of water per second! It's not his muscles that are special; it's his drive, his focus. I think that drive might be even stronger than yours, Gold."

Gold blinked. _Did Silver just compliment me?_ "Uh… okay. I have to fight him anyways, though. He's a Gym Leader. It's what I do."

Silver grumbled. "Let's just hope that 'what you do' doesn't kill you."

* * *

><p>Alice watched as Gold's aura slowly brightened. <em>He's lucky. The sickness could've been much worse. In fact, I think it should've been. His vitality, though... it's remarkable. He should be up and at 'em tomorrow.<em>

She excused herself and walked outside the building. After checking for other people, she slipped around the building to the back and released her Hypno. "Sorry about all the cloak-and-dagger stuff. It's just… there's not really a good place. They can hear me through the bathroom door…"

Hypno assured her that it was just fine. "Oh, that's good. I need… I need someone to talk to. _Really_ talk to, that is. I… I just… I'm not sure that Gold can keep winning. I'm worried that one of these Gym Leaders will be too much, and it'll all go down the drain. He has a destiny, sure, but… afterward… he's angered some rather powerful people. Can I… protect him? I'm just not sure…"

* * *

><p>Gold called Crystal. "Hey, Crys! How you holding up?"<p>

Crystal's voice sounded exhausted. "I'm… holding up, I guess. Any particular reason you called?"

"I just… I wanted to talk to you. That's all."

"Gold… I'm in a bit of a tight spot right now. I'm trying to sneak up on… well, it's a bit difficult to do when someone calls me. Sorry, I just can't talk right now… okay?"

Gold frowned. What was Crystal doing? Taking down Giovanni… but why couldn't she talk right now? "Okay. When can we talk?"

"I'll call you as soon as I can. Talk to you later, Gold." Crystal hung up.

Gold looked at her Pokégear. "What was that all about?"

Alice entered into the room right as Gold said that. "What was what all about?"

Gold looked up. "Oh, my friend Crystal… she's been my friend forever… she said she was busy and hung up unexpectedly. I'm just wondering what she's doing."

Alice blinked. _Friend forever? Then is this Crystal… the one with the history with Gold? The childhood friend? How odd. How is it that Crystal knows Gold longest… but Silver is more deeply connected? That doesn't make any sense! Especially with what I know of Silver! I hate foresight!_

Silver observed Alice's twitching face carefully from his bed. _There's something about her… is she jealous of this Crystal's friendship with Gold? No, I know what jealousy looks like. It's like she's… trying to figure something out. And annoyed. _

Silver wasn't one to be expressive, except when it suited his purposes. He knew how feelings shown on the face could be used against someone. However, that didn't mean he did not recognize others' expressions. In fact, he was probably better at it than most. _She's always so… secretive. Unlike Gold, who always shows what he's feeling, Alice is trying very hard to hide her true self. Oh, well. It's not that problematic, and it's not like I care that much anyways. I just hope this secret of hers doesn't get us killed._

Silver looked down towards his feet, contemplating his thoughts. _Us… I'm thinking of the three of us as a group. I have to be careful… dependence is weakness. It's perfectly okay to travel with them… just don't make it so that I rely on them. _

Gold looked back and forth between her two companions. Alice looked agitated and Silver looked contemplative. _It's suddenly quiet. Was it something I said?_

* * *

><p>Black Belt Yoshi sighed as he stared at the Cianwood Gym Leader, his master. "Lao, we need his attention."<p>

Black Belt Lao nodded. "Yep."

Yoshi turned. "We need to tell him about Gold."

Lao nodded again. "Yep."

Yoshi gritted his teeth. "And yet, he's occupied. And he's told us not to stop the waterfall for anything."

"Yep."

Yoshi pounded his powerful fist against the wall. "Gold is coming. If Chuck doesn't want us to wake him up, I say that Gold be the one to get his attention."

"Yep."

* * *

><p>Silver paced endlessly back and forth until he could take it no more. "Screw this."<p>

Gold looked over to see him putting on his shoes. "What are you doing?"

Silver gestured at the window. "I'm going out. Don't worry. I'll be back soon. I just need some air."

Alice frowned. "What's with him?"

Gold looked at her. "Uh… as calm as Silver is, it's been three days. I think he's getting restless."

* * *

><p>Morty turned from the first member of his new gang. It had taken awhile, but he had managed to possess someone with his ghosts. "And you will…?"<p>

The young man looked at him with empty eyes. "Oppose Falkner, break rules, not get caught."

Morty nodded. "Of course. That was perfect. Now go out there and do it."

The man turned and left. Soon, several others would be joining him in servitude.

Morty sat down, eyes shifting gray as he delved into the shadowy realm of portent. _Something happened to Gold that prevents him from fighting Chuck right now. Some kind of illness or injury? But that will be over soon. I need to pay attention to Team Rocket. There's something going on with them. I hope Pryce knows what he's doing._

* * *

><p>Silver halted in front of a house. <em>What is this?<em>

The house looked nearly the same as the other houses: wood and stone with solar panels on the roof. But inside, there was a crashing noise.

Silver snuck forwards slowly, holding his breath as he opened the well-oiled door.

Inside, a man with blonde hair was on the ground, being held in place by two Machoke. A man in a martial arts uniform stood over him, as well as a man in a snappy suit, who had a baseball bat.

The man with the bat growled. "Double agent traitor. Chuck and Pryce ain't always on the best of terms, but they both still agree on this: double agents are bad."

Silver pulled out his Croconaw. _Two men of both groups: Chuck and Pryce. Beating the stuffing out of some guy who tried to play both? Then they fear him for what he could do. If two men fear one man who is unable to fight, then they are weaker. Conclusion: they are completely pathetic and must be taken out._

Silver stopped walking forwards as the man with the bat pulled out a small device. "This is called a ball-bomb. It is an incendiary explosive that fits into a Pokéball with a Pokémon or is attached to a flat surface. Depending how you make it, it can explode based on motion, a timer, or several other things… and then it's burn, baby, burn. Machoke, tie him up."

_This is bad. Really bad. I need to defeat them now, while I can let that man escape. _"Croconaw, Water Gun!"

The man with the black belt stumbled backwards, flailing around in an oddly inelegant manner, considering he was a 'Black Belt.' He ran into a Machoke, who effortlessly broke his spine in annoyance.

The other man turned around quickly. "Who are you?"

Silver made no sound and showed no expression. He had gone cold.

The man smiled and raised the ball-bomb. "Fine then." He pressed a button and prepared to throw it.

He certainly would've succeeded in doing so if Croconaw hadn't used Ice Fang.

Instead, he dropped it next to the injured man. The Machoke tried to close in on Silver, but his Magnemite paralyzed them with a Thunder Wave.

Silver walked to the blonde man. "Are you okay?"

The man shook his head. "No time… the bomb is on a timer."

Silver glanced at it. It stated that there were twenty seconds left. "So there is. Let's get you out."

The blonde man shook his head. "My legs are broken from the bat. I'd slow you down. You need to get out."

Silver calculated that this man had no chance. He couldn't pull him out in time. "I'm sorry," he stated with little actual feeling.

The man pulled out a Pokéball. "Just get my Pokémon out."

Silver blinked, then grabbed the ball. "What's your name?" The worst fate Silver could think of was dying without anyone knowing your name.

"Kirk. Go!"

Silver left, and the house was engulfed in flames a few seconds later. _Apparently a ball-bomb has a similar effect to a Molotov Cocktail, _his mind reported to him.

He looked down at the Pokéball, troubled. _Why would he go to the trouble to save his Pokémon? It's not like they're special…_

He sent it out. It was a Sneasel, which reconfirmed that this was no special Pokémon. _Why would he care so much that this was his dying wish?_

He started walking back to the house Gold and Alice were at, disturbed by the idea he could not grasp.

* * *

><p>Alice flinched as she felt another aura get extinguished. Gold sat up slightly. "Uh… are you alright, Alice?"<p>

Alice shook her head, but offered no explanation.

Minutes later, Silver walked in, wearing a troubled expression. He reshaped his expression until it was his default one, but Gold and Alice had both seen already.

Gold hesitated. "Silver? Are you okay?"

Alice held up a finger. "Leave him alone, Gold."

Silver paused, then turned to the blue-haired girl. _Does she know? How could she? She was nowhere near. The people who were looked away, refusing to be witnesses. _

Gold paused and turned as well. "What? What's going on?"

Alice gave Gold a small look, then Silver.

Silver blinked in surprise. _She gave Gold a look so he wouldn't think anything of the look she gave me. Her look clearly said she knew something bad happened. She's so secretive… I don't know how she saw, but I _want_ to know. This might get us killed._

Alice examined Silver's aura. _He's having a crisis of a sort; something shook him to his foundations. And the other auras… it's connected. I must keep watching him. He's changing, and I'm not sure in what way._

Gold shrugged. "Fine then. I trust the two of you. If you don't want me to know… I won't push."

Silver and Alice looked at her, back at each other, and then turned away.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Kirk. Always wondered why Silver stole his Sneasel in the games…<strong>

**Not a long chapter. Oh well.**


	11. Chapter 11: Phone Call

**Chapter 11! Gold's no longer sick!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 11: Phone Call<span>

Gold walked up to the Cianwood Gym and read the sign. "'His roaring fists do the talking.' Uh… a kung fu person of some sort?"

Silver shook his head. "No, not kung fu. It's some sort of derivative of Karate, I think."

Gold shrugged. "What's the difference?"

Silver got somewhat offended. "Kung fu generally refers to pretty much any martial arts. Karate is a type of martial arts. It's the difference between 'fire' and 'Ember.'"

Alice sighed. "Whatever. Come on, let's go in."

A lady stopped them before they entered. "Are you here for the Gym Challenge?"

Gold nodded. "Yes. You need something?"

The lady frowned and seemed to make a decision. "If you beat the Gym Leader, come see me. I have something nice for you."

Slightly weirded out, Gold turned away slowly. "Okay. I'll… do that."

* * *

><p>Gold gaped at the large waterfall. "I think I understand what you meant, Silver. That's just awesome."<p>

Chuck sat beneath the water, unmoving. He was so into his training that he simply didn't seem to notice anything around him.

Gold looked around. "Uh, hello? Gym helper people? I know you're there. There's always Gym helper people."

A Black Belt jumped out from above. "Nice to meet you, Gold. I am Yoshi, second of the great master Chuck." Another Black Belt jumped from behind. "And this is the junior apprentice, Lao."

The junior nodded. "Yep."

Yoshi gestured at Chuck. "You here for a fight?"

Gold hesitated at the sight of all those muscles. "Uh… yeah."

Yoshi grinned and pointed at the wall. "You'll need to climb that and shut the water off, then."

Gold stopped and stared at the wall, which she realized was a rock-climbing wall. At the top was a small switch. "What?"

Yoshi laid back. "You expect to fight him without any effort? You can't just waltz in and expect a battle. We're forbidden to turn the water off, but you can do it."

Gold winced. She was scared of heights. With Falkner, it had been easier since she hadn't needed to climb anything, but here… with a single mistake, she could break her head open.

Yoshi noticed her hesitation. "Come on, where's your fighting spirit?"

Gold simply stared, attempting to move her legs. Alice grabbed her shoulder. "Come on, Gold. Think about the justice and peace you're trying to spread over the land."

That didn't help. Gold just wasn't able to move. Silver stepped forwards. "You idiot. You're perfectly willing to stick your Pokémon's necks out, but when it comes time for you to do so, you chicken out? You're a hypocrite, spouting off all that nonsense about caring for Pokémon. Yes, that's right. Hypocrite."

That did it. Gold walked forwards and climbed up the edges, pushing her legs and pulling her arms. _I may be many things, but I'm no hypocrite._

* * *

><p>Gold quickly realized that it was harder to climb down than to climb up.<p>

Alice was hyped up, fearful for Gold's life. "Be careful…!"

Silver patted the girl on the shoulder. "He'll be fine. If he's not, then he's dead."

Alice turned around and slapped the redhead. "Just shut up."

Gold finally reached the ground, panting. "That switch… so high up. I'm kinda tired now."

Yoshi darted forwards and grabbed Gold's arm. "Hey!"

The girl was quickly spun around and thrown unceremoniously at Chuck, landing only a couple of feet away. Firestorm growled.

Chuck slowly rose… and his eyes opened. They were pitch-black. "Humph. The waterfall… stopped? Why… did… you… STOP IT!"

Gold jumped back as Chuck stood all the way up and grabbed a barbell with at least four hundred pounds on it. He raised it with a single hand over his shoulder, his muscles rippling and contracting. It was shocking how little effort it required for him.

"You just spoiled… MY TRAINING! I will warn you… I am not only a master of fighting-types, but a master of fighting. I understand the true nature of power. My Pokémon crush boulders and shatter the bones of my enemies… and you, you thin little boy! You will get crushed."

Gold was too tired to even remotely care. "Whatever."

Chuck turned. "My people are fists of the Gym Leaders. They rent out the people I train. It's why there are so little people in this place, even though it's a 'city.' My gang is elsewhere! And they know how to act independently of me… so even if you beat me, thin boy, they will go on without me! Ha ha!"

Gold paused. "So what? If I beat you, you won't be able to train any more."

Chuck nodded. "That's true. But that only will happen if I lose. And I won't lose!"

He sent out a Primeape.

Gold pointed. "Firestorm, you're up! Flame Wheel!"

The Quilava jumped forwards and delivered the attack, but Primeape simply grew angry.

"Primeape, Double Team!" The Pig Monkey Pokémon did a series of acrobatics, creating an illusion of multiple Primeape.

Gold smiled. "Against multiple targets? Hit them all, Firestorm!"

Firestorm nodded and sprayed fire at all of the illusions, but the Primeape jumped upwards and punched the ceiling, causing a Rock Slide. Firestorm cried out in pain. Chuck just laughed. "You have power, but you're forgetting precision. Precision is even more important than power, thin boy!"

Faced with the prospect of Firestorm fainting, Gold threw a Super Potion.

Chuck laughed. "What are you throwing medicine around for? Focus Punch!"

Primeape breathed in, focused, and sent all of its power into a single mighty blow. Gold frowned and recalled her Pokémon before Firestorm could get punched anymore. "Go, Trigger!" The Flaaffy came out as she always did, growling. "Thundershock!"

Chuck shook his head. "Double Team."

Gold was the one who laughed this time. "Electricity is instantaneous, Chuck! And in this case, your training worked against you."

The water that had been used in the waterfall conducted the electricity underneath Primeape's feet, causing the shock to hurt even more than normal. Primeape fainted.

Chuck shrugged. "Good attack. Increasing your precision by using your environment. Whatever. We haven't lost yet! Go, Poliwrath!"

Gold hesitated. "Charge!"

Trigger charged electricity to create a large blast of power… but…

"Surf!"

Gold frowned. "The move that lets you ride on water?" She turned to see Silver backing up and Alice outright running away. "Heh?"

A wall of water loomed up and slammed into Trigger, causing her to be thrown against a wall.

Chuck grinned. "Now, Focus Punch!"

The Tadpole Pokémon jumped through the receding waters and put its full power into a single punch, knocking Trigger out.

Gold thought about her next move. Firestorm was weak to water and not at full strength. Trick was weak to both water and fighting. Star was a mere baby who, even though he had Extrasensory, was very weak to fighting-types. And Silver's Krabby… that Pokémon didn't even know her at all and refused to bond with her. Her options were very low…

"Go, Firestorm!" _I will need to knock Poliwrath out as soon as possible. _"Quick Attack!"

"Surf!"

The lightning-quick strike hit, but Surf was overwhelming. Firestorm fainted. "Darn it! Go, Trick!"

Chuck shook his head. "Nope. Surf."

Gold ground her teeth as Trick was knocked out as well. "Will you stop using that? I thought you liked precision, not power."

Chuck laughed. "Surf's precision is 100%. Can't get more precise than that!"

Gold grimaced. "Go, Krabby!"

Silver's Krabby looked up at his opponent and winced. "Mud Shot!"

The Krabby shook its head and used Harden instead. "Defense is useless against this guy!"

A few Surfs knocked out Krabby as well. Gold hated the move when she was using it herself, but hated it even more in battle.

Gold sighed. "Alright. Star then." She sent the cheerful-looking Togepi out, and was suddenly reminded of what Chuck was doing before they had fought. _Increasing his drive… underneath the water! This is the same kind of pressure… and if he can do it, so can I!_ "Star, full power Extrasensory!"

The Togepi winked at Poliwrath. Chuck thought it was hilarious. "Seriously? That is your last one? I counted the balls on your belt, thin boy. _This _is your last one? I think I'll use you and your little baby as punching bags when I'm through with you!"

Gold smiled. "A Togepi's power is in its shell. That power comes from how happy it is and how happy others are around it. And even though it's only been about a week since Star hatched, that power has grown to an extreme amount, probably from Alice's optimism and the Moomoo milk. When I say full power? The proper response is to shake in fear."

Star unleashed the full power of his mind, using the considerable energy in his shell. As a fighting-type, Poliwrath was weak to psychic moves. Normally, though, it would've been easy to shrug off.

Star's attack was the strength of his, his mistress' and her companions' joy. And that made it nigh unbeatable.

Poliwrath fell to the ground, brain scrambled. Chuck stopped smiling. "What in Arceus' name?"

Gold brushed sweat from her forehead. "That was close. I wasn't even sure if that would work. Thank you, Star." The happy little Pokémon climbed into her arms and fell asleep immediately to regain his strength. "Alright, Chuck. You're beaten. You're going to stop training people."

Chuck growled. "Ha! Yeah right!" He stepped forwards into a stance and aimed his barbell at Gold's head.

Silver's Sneasel jumped out of its ball and did an Icy Wind, freezing the barbell and the ground. Chuck slipped on the ice and crashed to the floor. The frozen barbell shattered on contact.

Gold turned to Silver. "Uh… thanks, Silver. This is… the second time you've saved me." _I really hope I'm not blushing._ "What kind of Pokémon is that?"

Silver scowled. "Into. The ball. Now. What are you doing?"

Alice grabbed his arm. "Why are you scolding it? It did the right thing."

Silver shook his head and pulled away. "I know. It's just… if that Sneasel cannot follow my command, I'll have to release it. I cannot allow such indiscipline on my team."

Alice smirked. "You didn't tell it _not_ to save Gold, did you?"

Silver froze. "No…"

Alice turned to help Gold carry Star. "Then don't blame the Sneasel when it did nothing wrong."

Silver held his hands up in exasperation.

Black Belt Yoshi jumped down from who-knows-where. "The master has fallen."

Black Belt Lao followed soon afterwards. "Yep."

Gold reached into the unconscious Chuck's armband and grabbed the Storm Badge. "Are you going to attack us for felling your master?

Black Belt Yoshi eyed Sneasel, who was prancing about just out of Silver's reach. "Heck no. If that thing could make the master go down… it could make us go down too. Just go away."

Gold nodded. "But what if he starts training others again?"

Black Belt Lao, surprisingly, was the one who answered. "He's not strong enough for that. He'll need to train himself before anyone else. Otherwise, you'd just beat him again."

Gold sighed as she felt the oppressive weight of the Gym lift from her shoulders. _I need to sleep._

Alice helped her out of the Gym, with Silver following behind, chasing the taunting Sneasel.

* * *

><p>Morty's eyes opened, shifting from gray to purple as he pulled his mind out of the realm of portents. <em>Chuck is defeated. But it was very close. If Gold fights say, Pryce, at this power, Gold would be defeated. But Jasmine is in the middle, and Gold will grow strong from fighting her. Without my warning, Pryce would have had no chance.<em>

_Team Rocket's plan is still moving along nicely. It all seems to fit together well. Gold has gone too far out to see very much of it, but he's coming back._

* * *

><p>Outside, the lady met the trio. "That's… the badge!"<p>

Gold nodded. "Yes, it is."

The lady smiled. "He was beaten! He'll finally come home!"

Gold held up a finger. "What?"

The lady turned towards the door and handed over an HM. "Take it! It's Fly. This is just a bit of gratitude from the wife of Chuck!" She ran into the Gym, humming a strange little tune.

Alice frowned. _Her aura was all… bouncy._

* * *

><p>In the Pokémon Center, while Firestorm and the rest healed, Gold switched to her phone feature. <em>Do I or don't I?<em>

Alice swooped forwards. "Whatcha doing?"

Gold pointed at her Pokégear. "I… I just want to… well, that last battle was almost a defeat for me."

Alice nodded. "Yeah, but so were the others."

Gold shook her head. "This was worse. What I made Star do… that was a last resort move. It had so many things that could go wrong. If Firestorm hadn't weakened that Poliwrath… if Chuck hadn't wasted so much energy with Krabby… if Chuck's training hadn't given me a weird confidence… if all of these things hadn't happened, and Chuck hadn't hesitated, Star would've lost. Also, there was just enough power to knock out the Poliwrath. If it had been a day's less worth of happiness, Poliwrath would've stayed awake… and I would be a punching bag for Chuck now."

Alice waved the negativity away, although it's what she felt in her heart as well. "So what? Those things didn't happen. You won!"

Gold nodded. "Yeah, but I realized that… I don't know if I'll win forever. So… maybe I should do the things I've been neglecting. I shouldn't hold myself back from them. Because Jasmine? I don't know what Chuck would've done if I lost, but Jasmine will definitely kill me if I lose. And the others… they might as well. I'm fighting an uphill battle and still winning, but if I lose, I might die. So… I've decided… that I'm going to call my dad. Because I want to talk to him once, and my life may not be all that long."

Although Alice was outwardly calm, inwardly, this speech caused her to panic. What Gold just said closely mimicked her own fears. _No! Gold! I… no… you're too important to me to lose! I will defend you with my life, Gold…_

Gold's hand trembled as she input the number. _Calm down. You haven't heard from him in five years, but calm down. _

Her heart beat fast as she heard the phone pick up. "Hello?"

"This is… Gold."

"Gold?"

"Yes. Is this…?"

"Very funny. Don't torment me like that. Who are you really?"

Gold was shocked for a split second. "No, seriously, it's Gold."

There was a pause on the other end, so Gold decided to speak. "Please, believe me. Are you… are you my dad?"

There was a small strangled noise on the other side. "G-Gold?"

Gold was starting to get annoyed. "Five years. Five years, I don't get the slightest message from you. I only recently got your number when you called mom. I've been agonizing over calling you while fighting crime lords and hoodlums. Is it too hard to believe that I would actually do it?"

The voice now sounded joyful, as if he was trying to stop himself from crying. "Gold. Yeah, it's really me. I'm… so glad to hear you, Raven."

The raw emotion was something Gold didn't expect, couldn't have expected. The mere mention of her old childhood nickname was too much. She started to cry, smiling all the while. "Dad…"

* * *

><p>Silver grabbed Alice's shoulder. "Who's he taking to? He looks… very happy."<p>

Alice smiled, although she still felt a little unsettled. "His dad, who, from what Gold's said, hasn't talked to him in five years."

Silver frowned. "His dad?"

Alice nodded. "How about you, Silver? What's your dad like?"

Silver froze, emotions threatening to boil over. "Alice, you remember those rules you asked me to follow four days ago to get along with you?"

"Yes. What of them?"

Silver turned away. "Here's one of mine: don't ever ask about my family."

* * *

><p>Gold's father sighed. "Okay. Ask it. I know you want to. It's inevitable."<p>

Gold paused. "Why did you leave?"

Her dad took a deep breath. "Because the worst thing happened at the worst possible time. You see, Raven, twelve years before I left, I was a lackey for a Gym Leader known as Will, who controlled Cherrygrove City. There was this woman there, a pure-hearted girl, and we loved each other very much."

Gold frowned. "My mother?"

There was a pause. "No. A different girl. This girl happened to be a double agent for Will and Aeris Falkner the second… and the Gym Leaders do not take well to double agents."

Gold gulped. "They got her?"

"Yes. They got her. I… I challenged Will then to get her back, and succeeded in defeating him. However, she wasn't there when I went down to the cells. I looked everywhere, but could not find her."

Gold felt saddened. "Continue, please."

"A year later, I met your mother. A year after that, and we were married. The hole in my heart had mostly healed by then, and when you were born, my old life seemed like a distant dream. New Bark Town was far enough away from the other Gym Leaders that I could try and forget."

Gold shook her head. "Why are you telling me this? Why did you leave?"

Her father's voice filled with tension. "The other girl I loved before your mother? She didn't die."

Gold started. "What?"

"You see, Will had spirited her away to Hoenn, the region to the south. Twelve years later, when you were nine, I got a message from her, asking for help. She was still imprisoned. I couldn't simply sit there and let her rot anymore."

Gold nodded. "But… why have you never called? What was the argument you had with mom before you left?"

"Simple. Your mother didn't want me to risk my life for some other girl that I hadn't seen in a decade. I told her that I would be back when I succeeded in freeing her. Needless to say, your mother didn't like that and kicked me out. I haven't succeeded yet, so I haven't returned. And I don't know what your mother would've thought, so I've refrained from calling. I was just scared of what she'd say… and then I saw you in the paper."

Gold smiled. "Beating Gym Leaders."

"Yes. I knew I had to call. I needed to tell you… how proud I was of you, Raven. And I just wanted to say… go stomp those crime lords out!"

Tears fell down her face. "I will, dad."

"I love you, Raven."

"I love you too, dad."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that phone call was believable… this was probably the most difficult chapter to write ever in all of my stories.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12: Intrigue

**Chapter 12… Sorry it took so long (as compared to how fast I usually am).**

Chapter 12: Intrigue

Silver came out of the bathroom to their shared room, where Alice was quickly packing up. Silver frowned. Gold's stuff (scattered indiscriminately around, as always) was still everywhere. "Hey. Where'd he go? Why hasn't he packed up?"

Alice simply shrugged. "I haven't seen him since that phone call. I don't know what he's doing, but you should go get him. It's time to go."

* * *

><p>Silver walked down to the beach. <em>Where is he?<em> Gold wasn't anywhere in the village… so that meant…

She was standing on a small outcropping some distant out, waving her arms about for some reason. Silver blinked and quickly surfed to the small island on his Feraligatr. Gold wasn't waving her arms around, she was directing a series of battles. For some reason, Wild Pokémon were attacking her in droves. Her Pokémon were defending her.

He jumped up quickly, yelling. "_What are you doing?_"

Gold ignored him. "Star, Extrasensory!" A Tentacruel was beaten back.

Silver blanched. _What in the Distortion World? It wasn't that strong before. How'd that happen?_ "Gold! What are you _doing_? And how are you doing this?"

Gold finally noticed him. "Tell Alice it'll be one more day, Silver. I'm busy! Yawn!"

Not easily rebuffed, Silver asked a third time. "GOLD! WHAT IN ARCEUS' NAME ARE YOU DOING?"

Gold didn't even flinch. "Training!"

Silver could not think of a single thing to say. Training meant fighting with other trainers. Fighting weak wild Pokémon… that was completely unheard of.

Although, as far as Silver could tell, it wasn't quite failing, either. The swarms of wild Pokémon that were, for some strange reason, swarming Gold were strong enough together to present a sort of challenge.

He stepped forwards and grabbed her arm. "Explain."

Gold pointed. "Flame Wheel! Okay, listen up! I only want to explain this once. That last battle, I barely won. I was okay when I fought the weaker Gym Leaders. I was fine! But Chuck opened my eyes up to how dangerous this thing is. And my dad? He's the one who inspired me to do this! I mean, come on! I have talent, sure, but pure talent isn't going to defeat everyone! I need skill! Skill! So, yeah, training!"

Silver blinked. This guy… was trying to make himself stronger? Through unorthodox training methods? Could this be… Gold's true strength?

He shook his head to himself. _This isn't it. This is normal strength. Physical strength…_

* * *

><p>He went back to tell Alice what was going on, then he turned around and surfed back to the island. From there, he simply observed.<p>

Gold could've easily burned through Jasmine's steel-type Gym with Firestorm. Silver was sure of that. Pryce's Gym would've gone down as well, in all likelihood. It was only with Clair did Silver see a problem, and yet Firestorm would've been so powerful by that point that he could've taken on that one all by himself, too. So why did Gold feel the need to train all of her Pokémon? What was the point?

Somehow, he saw that Gold's team was a functional _group_, not the usual trainer-individual command structure he saw elsewhere. Firestorm was the leader of the rest, constantly helping them do better, using his own fire to strengthen their moves. Trigger was trigger-happy, militant even. She seemed to hate everything, but oddly enough went along with it all. Trick was rather shy, but willing to step up to the challenge. He looked to the other Pokémon for support and seemed to get it. And Star… the annoying alarm clock Togepi was mostly a prodigy, using unforeseen abilities and powers. He was vastly weaker than the others, but stood up for himself, pushing his body to the limits.

None of this made sense to Silver. How could Pokémon act like humans? They weren't human… as far as he knew, they didn't have feelings… but faced with what he saw, he started to understand. Gold didn't merely command… Gold tried to understand how her team thought. That's how she was so successful. _It's not that he knows how to act. It's that he knows how his Pokémon will act. He then improvises, based on that._

Looking down at the water, Silver realized why the wild Pokémon were so eager to attack: his own Krabby was taunting them all, then fleeing back to Gold quickly. _That's one way to drain the ocean of water types._

* * *

><p>By noon, Silver was getting bored. Alice was there on the island as well; she seemed quite awed by Gold's holding off the swarms.<p>

A single Tentacool edged up and grabbed Trigger, a stupid mistake. The Flaafy released enough electricity to make the poor wild Pokémon smoke before it slid back into the water.

Alice blinked. "Holy crap. Silver…" she started whispering, "I don't understand. What's this new obsession that he's got? He's been fighting nearly non-stop against _hordes_… and winning. What… the… Distortion World."

Silver shrugged. "Sooner or later he'll stop. Don't worry about it."

* * *

><p>Gold's Pokémon had gathered power. Firestorm was more ready than ever. Trigger almost seemed placated after destroying tons of wild Pokémon. Trick stood up straighter.<p>

And Star had evolved, his friendship with Gold surpassing the limits of form.

Gold celebrated, hugging the now-teenaged Pokémon with glee. "Yeah! Hahahahaha…. Jasmine is so screwed, you have no idea!"

Alice smiled slightly. "Can we… get going now?"

Gold made a face. "I'm going to have to ride the Krabby all the way back, aren't I?"

Silver held up HM Fly. "No. I guess you should count yourself lucky that your Togepi evolved. Because Togetic can learn this."

Gold celebrated even futher, hugging Star even tighter. "You are so awesome!"

Alice sent out a Golbat. "Here's my flyer."

Gold was almost bubbly. "I don't have to Surf. I don't have to!"

Silver sighed. "Yeah, yeah. You don't need to catch the sniffles again. Good for you."

Gold didn't let the redhead get her down. "Come on, Silver! There's no reason to be unhappy!"

Silver frowned. "No _obvious _reason."

"Exactly! Come on, let's Fly already! I've been dying to get out of here."

* * *

><p>The city of Olivine remained as dreary as always. Tucker Alanson raced down an alleyway, panting. He stopped and tried to think, ignoring the stab wound one of Jasmine's men gave him. <em>I can't believe she literally gave the order to sell my organs on the black market. It's like she watches too many movies or something.<em>

He turned down the road. _Only one thing left for people like me. I've got to get the hell out of Johto._

Unfortunately, Whitney's sailor lackeys were standing in front of the docks, Pokéballs at the ready. _People who have Pokémon… have way too much power over those who don't._

Seeing a few people coming, he ducked into a bar. The patrons turned to look, but once they saw that he was bleeding, they turned around and ignored him.

He growled. _I knew there was no justice when I got into this mess. But I didn't expect that Jasmine would be so… _unreasonable_. It's ridiculous._

He winced and looked around for a place to hide. It was then that he felt a tap on his shoulder.

The man who got his attention had violet-colored hair and was wearing a black uniform emblazoned with a red R. "Trying to get away?"

Tucker jumped back and growled as his injury hindered him. "Team Rocket." He spat on the floor in front of the Grunt.

The man snorted. "Really. Relax. I'm not here for that."

Tucker eyed the exit, cursing himself for jumping back. Now the Grunt was in between him and the door. Then again… Jasmine's men were outside…

The Grunt sighed. "It's really too bad that Jasmine gave that order. You're practically a dead man."

"I don't need you to… tell me things I already know!" Tucker said exasperatedly.

The Grunt continued as if he hadn't heard. "And what with the sheer amount of people who obey Jasmine out of fear, there's nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. What can a living corpse do?"

Tucker was still bleeding, and nothing the Team Rocket man said was particularly interesting. "If you're just going to blather on, get out of my way."

The Grunt shook his head. "We at Team Rocket are truly sympathetic to your plight, Mr. Alanson."

Tucker frowned. That's exactly what Jasmine had told him when she recruited him. "Oh, really?"

The Grunt smiled softly. "You have… valuable skills. You're a skilled negotiator. We need someone like you for a single, specific, irreplaceable job."

Tucker turned to look at the others in the bar, but he and the Grunt may as well have not existed for them. The Grunt chuckled. "No, they're just ants compared to you and I. I've been sent for you and you alone. Just because you've had a run of bad luck doesn't mean you need to be discarded, worth nothing more than your insides. If you come to Team Rocket, we'll hide you and employ you. Rest assured that we do not kill Grunts for any reason."

Tucker thought about it. He could say no, but that would mean facing Jasmine's squad by himself. If he said yes, he would be safe and employed. _Well, what the hell. I've already been stuck in one gang most of my life. It's not like I'm even that good of a guy. What have I got to lose?_ Another thought immediately crept in. _Only my organs._

Tucker didn't like Team Rocket, but the offer was one he couldn't refuse. "I'm in."

* * *

><p>Morty ran through his gang in his head. Fifteen people in town, each one completely possessed. Even more than that, they seemed normal. They didn't even remember when they attacked something.<p>

Morty was more careful with possession than most. The major hint that someone was possessed was that they woke up somewhere without remembering how they got there. Morty had everyone wake up in their beds, remembering that they had gone to sleep in them.

In the meantime, Falkner was having an even harder time. Morty could do all sorts of damage by his lonesome, but with a gang, even a gang as small as this one, he had virtual control of the city. He almost had the ability to kill Falkner. Not that he would. He would instead possess as many of the people in Violet City as he could. And then, if Gold came back…

He changed his mind about punishing Falkner just a little while ago. His urge to punish Falkner was not as strong as his urge to punish Gold. The being of legend was a title he had long wanted for himself. No young upstart who didn't even know that much about the legend was going to do what he had wanted to do for decades.

* * *

><p>Gold, Silver, and Alice rode the lighthouse elevator up to the tower room.<p>

Jasmine hadn't obviously moved in the five days that they had been gone. She turned slightly towards the group. "The three who went out returned. Hopefully with medicine."

Gold walked forwards, trying not to gag in disgust at the Gym Leader. She handed Jasmine the Secretpotion and took a step back.

Jasmine smiled. It was like cracking ice. "Will this cure this Pokemon…?"

The Ampharos took the medicine. It was silent for a few moments.

Right during that tense quiet, Gold's Pokégear rang. She jumped and walked backwards, answering it. "Hello?"

It was Lyra. "Hi, Gold!"

Gold was bewildered. "Lyra, what are you doing? How are you even calling me?"

Lyra sounded cheerful. "Mommy bought me a Pokégear! Now I can call you all the time!"

Gold blinked. This did not sound like a good thing to her. "Lyra, please. I'm in the middle of something. Do you need something?"

Lyra giggled. "Mommy got me a Marill! Yesterday, it smelled bad. So I'm giving it lots and lots of baths now!"

Gold's mouth fell open. Out of all things she could've heard, she couldn't have predicted this. "Oh, well… that's… good? Listen, Lyra, this isn't a good time. Really. Can you call me in a couple of hours, instead?"

Lyra sounded slightly dejected. "'Kay…"

Gold hung up. "Mental note… ask mom what she was thinking."

Silver was staring at her oddly now, but Alice's attention was on the Pokémon, who did indeed look better. Jasmine smiled. "Shine, Pokémon."

The Ampharos lit up the tower and Jasmine stood up. "Good. I can go to the Gym now." Without another word, she walked to the elevator and exited.

Gold made frustrated gestures. "That's it?"

Silver nodded. "I expected nothing less."

Gold's Pokégear rang again. "What now?!"

It was Baoba. "Oy, Pokaydix boy!"

Gold groaned inwardly. "Yes?"

"Guess wha?"

"…Yes?"

"Sorreh t' kept ya waitin'! Th' Safari Zone's open fer business!"

"I was waiting?"

Baoba completely ignored her. "Ya know where it is? Ya know tha' gate inside th' cavern in Cianwood?"

"No, and no."

"Ya go through there and walk fer a short while, ya should soon see th' Safari Zone!"

"Okay. Whatever."

"Come on an' visit!" He hung up.

Alice was watching intently. "Who was that?"

Gold lowered her arm. "Our old friend Baoba, the coinkerding guy. Why am I getting all of these calls? Not like I don't love Lyra or anything, and not like I didn't ask for it when I gave Baoba my number, but how come everyone's calling me right now? I fully expect someone to interrupt my fight with Jasmine."

Silver glanced at the Pokégear. "Don't ask me. I wouldn't get one of those to save my life. Useless pieces of annoying crap."

Gold held up a finger. "Why are you so negative all the time? Can't you smile?"

Alice grinned. "Yes, but it would break the Universe."

Both girls started laughing. Silver was not amused.

* * *

><p>The Olivine Gym looked like the rest of the city: dull, gray, and uniform. Gold eyed the steel bars in the ceiling. "So… what now?"<p>

Silver pointed. "Go towards the light."

Jasmine was sitting sprawled against a back wall underneath a lamp. She said nothing as Gold approached.

Alice shuddered. "Why don't you feel anything?" she murmured. Silver looked at her, but remained quiet.

Gold tried to get the Gym Leader's attention. "Jasmine." She calmed herself. The brown-haired woman still disturbed her.

Jasmine didn't move. "The lighthouse is fixed. Here I am. The Steel-Clad Defense Girl. Whatever that means."

Gold nodded. "I'm here to fight you."

Jasmine sat slightly straighter. "Oh, yes. I agreed with the other lords and ladies. I fight those who come to me in my Gym. With steel. Hard, cold, sharp, and strong… like me, I suppose."

Gold stepped forwards. "Are you ready?"

Jasmine stood up and pulled out a Pokéball. "Why is it that the person in front of me seems excited? Things do not feel excitement."

Gold started, then recovered. She sent out Firestorm. "Let's begin."

Jasmine sent out a Magnemite. "Thunder Wave."

"Firestorm, Flame Wheel!"

The Quilava moved first and tackled the floating Magnet Pokémon, who fainted.

Jasmine seemed slightly surprised for some reason. She quickly returned to an expression of indifference, though. "Steelix."

Gold nodded. "Again! Flame Wheel!"

Jasmine pointed. "Rock Throw."

Steelix took the hit, but did not go down. It then launched a rock at Firestorm, but the Volcano Pokémon dodged out of the way. He then quickly charged again.

This time, though, Steelix unleashed a Sandstorm, dust flying around the room. Alice and Silver took shelter behind a few steel pillars while Gold tried to see. "Firestorm! If you can here me, keep up with the flame!"

There was a bit of light somewhere in the middle and a crunching noise. Gold tried to figure out what was going on, but she couldn't see a single thing. All of a sudden, the sand moved aside. Gold cried out in shock. Firestorm was lying on the ground, fainted.

"Trigger, get it!" The small sheep attacked the giant steel worm, and Gold started having second thoughts. _How do I beat this?_

Unfortunately, Trigger's electricity did nothing. After a few rounds of uselessly shocking the Steelix, Gold returned Trigger to her ball. _It's part ground type._ "Go, Star! Use Yawn!"

Jasmine watched Star yawn in her Pokémon's face. "Iron Tail."

The Iron Snake Pokémon then gave Star a beating over and over, but Star would not give up. He waited for the command of "Metronome!" after the Steelix fell asleep and used Surf, followed closely by Vital Throw. The image of the tiny Togetic launching a Steelix across the room would be one Gold would never forget. Steelix fell, fainting.

Seeming concerned, Jasmine let a final Magnemite out, but Star used a final Metronome, which manifested as Flamethrower. Jasmine's final Pokémon fainted.

After the Magnemite clanked on the ground, there was a silence for a few moments. Jasmine twitched, moving her hand forwards and pulling it back.

Gold waited, sweating the entire time. _I can't believe I just did that._

The silence continued, far beyond what was considered awkward and into downright uncomfortable levels. Jasmine continued to move her arm forwards and backwards without saying a word.

Silver broke the silence. "Does this mean we can leave now?" Alice glared at him.

The silence restarted, but this time lasted for only a few minutes before Jasmine stepped towards Gold. "You…"

Gold wasn't sure if this was a good or bad sign yet. Chuck had nearly assaulted her and Bugsy pretty much did. Whitney and Falkner had let her leave without any trouble. And Jasmine had never said the word "you" before, always calling Gold "the one in front of me." So what should she do?

Jasmine took another step forwards. "You… are like me…? You… you… are… a being."

Gold was more than a little uncomfortable at this point. "Uh… Jasmine?"

Jasmine held her arm out and touched Gold's face. "You have hopes and dreams like me. The others… they don't. But you… you _feel_."

Gold couldn't process this very well. "Uh… yes?"

Jasmine cocked her head to the side. "The only other one who isn't a cog of social and societal dynamics. The only other one who isn't a _thing_ to be used."

Gold put a hand up. "Well, not quite-"

"And what's more, you're a better trainer. In accordance to the rules I made with those other people, I must give you my badge. The Mineral Badge."

Gold took the badge from her. "Jasmine, could you stop touching my face?"

Jasmine not only didn't stop touching her, but also put her other hand on Gold's face as well. "But semantics aside. You're the only other one with soul. An equal to me. And I must share with you."

Gold didn't like where this was headed. "Jasmine, please, can you… not…?"

Jasmine leaned forwards to kiss, and Gold was yanked back by Alice.

This resulted in a very peculiar situation.

Alice, of course, wanted Gold for herself. He was _her _boy! He did not belong to this unfeeling _woman_ who was only now beginning to understand that other people weren't objects!

Jasmine, on the other hand, only saw that the only other speck of light in existence was being pulled back by a thing for some reason. She didn't understand that Alice had thoughts and feelings as well, and so was shocked into stillness for a second when she didn't get what she wanted.

The group fled and Jasmine was quick to react. She pressed a button on the wall. "All minions stop a group of three: a redheaded boy, a blue-haired girl, and _him_."

* * *

><p>The three flew quickly to Ecruteak, leaving the foul-smelling port city far behind.<p>

Gold's face was almost stuck into a permanent expression of surprise. "What the Distortion World was that."

Alice was agitated. "Just some girl who got really attracted to you."

Silver shrugged. "For some reason, I'm not really surprised."_ What with all of those other girls…_

Alice vented. "Gold, what was that?"

Gold nodded. "Yes, that's what I asked. What was that?"

Alice shook her head. "No, not her. I'm talking about how you barely resisted!"

Gold frowned, still uncomfortable. "Uh… I don't know. She just… _came on to me…_ and I froze?"

"You barely batted an eyelash as _the most dangerous Gym leader_ tried to kiss you!"

Gold couldn't handle this. A sociopathic black market-dealing murderer gang lord, who also happened to be _female_ on top of all that, was immensely attracted to her. All because she beat the woman in a _Pokémon battle._ Not to mention that Alice was mighty pissed off because of it. "I suppose I did."

Alice proceeded to describe every single way that Gold was boneheaded.

* * *

><p>A kimono girl walked up to her friend inside of the dance theater. "The boy has returned. I just talked to Naoko. She saw him fly in from the West."<p>

Her boss smiled. "Then it will be soon. As the prophecy says, "Thrice shall the being of legend enter into the city of the towers. And on the third time, the great meeting shall come to pass."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay! <strong>

**Gold goes level grinding, Baoba makes an _epic_ appearance, and Silver is not amused. **


	13. Chapter 13: Lake of Rage

**Let's continue…**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 13: Lake of Rage<span>

Gold peered at the city of Ecruteak. "It seems brighter for some reason."

Silver grunted. "It's just your imagination. Morty leaving and all."

Alice looked out of the Pokémon Center window as well. _Certainly, it feels healthier._

Cameron looked as well. "It always has such a marvelous view."

…

* * *

><p>Gold leaned against a building, panting for breath. "Everyone… alive?"<p>

Silver frowned as he rested. "Why were we running?"

Alice shook her head. "He didn't seem threatening."

Gold nodded. "Yeah, but have you ever heard of the saying, 'beware the nice ones?'"

Silver tried to get their attention. "Again, what are we doing out here?"

Alice laughed. "No, and I doubt that that's the actual saying."

Silver shook Gold, who stiffened. "We're outside. Why are we outside?"

Gold pushed him away. "Because that camera guy was in there."

Silver face-palmed. "…Are you saying that every time a questionable individual walks into a public place, we have to flee?"

Gold's Pokégear took that moment to ring. "Hello? Ah, Lyra…"

Alice and Silver exchanged glances. Lyra had called five times. Twice the previous night when they were trying to relax after fleeing Jasmine, and three more times in the morning, when Gold had had more patience.

Silver muttered under his breath, "How long you think he'll be this time?"

Alice shrugged. "None of these calls last more than five minutes. His sister might have some sort of attention problem… not that it's a bad thing. He can just turn it off when we're in the middle of something important, right?"

Silver snorted. "Pokégears have an off switch?"

Gold nodded. "Okay, Lyra. Yes, I understand. No, dish soap is not the same as laundry soap. Lyra! Go get mom. Get mom! …Why am I being called for this…?"

Alice pulled out and pointed at a map. "Mahogany Town is next, right? The next Gym leader will be there."

Silver eyed the small red dot. "Hm… I'm not sure if I should go or not."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're planning to go off on your own?"

Silver hesitated. "Not that this isn't… I don't know, enjoyable? But I'm not really here for fun and games. I'm after… someone specific. The trail's been colder and colder the further west we've gone, and if I can't find any leads… I may as well go my own way."

Alice pondered this. Silver had never discussed his goals before. This was an interesting revelation. _Finding someone… I suppose that's better than running away from someone._ "What will you do after you find this person?"

Silver's eyes narrowed. "I don't know myself, but you can bet that it's not going to be good."

Gold hung up. "Sorry… again…"

Alice smiled. "No need to be sorry. It's not like it's as important as, say, a Gym leader who's fascinated with you, _right?_"

Gold groaned inwardly. This uncharacteristic coldness with Alice was going to take some time to evaporate, wasn't it? "Yes."

Alice turned away, still smiling and radiating coldness. Silver smirked slightly and followed.

Wait, this seemed oddly familiar for some reason. Gold started to think. _Where have I seen this kind of… oh, heck no._

She had seen it in manga, so much manga. The main male character of many romantic stories was almost universally oblivious to the affections of the female characters. It created a sort of romantic tension that lasted until the boy finally figured out that the girl was in love with him. Alice wasn't unhappy just because Gold didn't stop Jasmine. Alice was unhappy because Jasmine made her jealous. _Oh heck no!_

And Silver! The boy in the stories had friends who knew what was going on! That smirk was the same smirk as in those images… It was the smirk of one who knows exactly what was going on and thought it was humorous! _OH HECK NO!_

Gold berated herself inwardly. How could she not have realized this before? The signs were there. How did she mistake attraction for happiness, or shyness, or one of those other easily-confused platonic emotions? How did she…

Silver looked back. "Uh, Alice. He's banging his head against a wall."

Alice swung herself around. "What?"

Gold was indeed doing her best to give herself brain damage. Alice quickly ran forwards. "Gold!"

Silver just watched. This was really none of his business. _It's times like this when he makes me question his so-called 'true strength.'_

Gold stopped and held up her hand. "Alice…"

Alice halted. "Uh, yeah, Gold?"

Gold tried to think of something to say, but failed miserably. _Okay. Calm down. It might just be my imagination. After all, I've only seen it in manga. Alice hasn't said anything. What she says and does might be platonic. You never know, I might be seeing things that aren't there. It would be embarrassing to bring it up if she doesn't think that way, and it doesn't cost anything to say nothing. If Alice does confess at some point, then I can let her down. At the very least, it won't come as a surprise. And in the meantime, I'm going to try to stay out of anymore Jasmine situations. _"…Never mind. Let's… just go to Mahogany, I guess."

* * *

><p>The trio walked out onto Route 42. Gold read the information on it off of her Pokégear. "A small path opened at the base of the challenging Mt. Mortar."<p>

Silver eyed the watch-like device. "Are we going to have to go into the mountain?"

Gold shook her head. "Mt. Mortar is off to the side. We'll just bypass it." She took a step forwards and was immediately tackled by a hiker. "AAAAGH!"

The hiker frowned and looked up at Alice. "Darn it. I missed the girl. I mean… hi!"

Alice twitched. "Wait, what?"

The hiker quickly got off of Gold. "…Sorry that I bumped into you?"

Gold glared. "Right. It was an 'accident.'"

The hiker eyed Silver as well, who was pulling his Croconaw's Pokéball out. "Er… sorry! Take this!" He pushed a small disk into Gold's hand and ran past them towards Ecruteak.

Alice shuddered. "Was he trying to… touch me?"

Silver nodded. "Looks that way."

Gold got up. "That sucked. Ugh… ugh. He thinks giving me… what is this… Strength? Will make up for his intentions?"

Silver blinked. "Strength is an HM."

Gold looked at the markings. "Why so it is."

Alice looked back towards where the hiker had gone. "Do you think maybe we should call the police or something?"

Gold started laughing. Silver only face-palmed. "And have them do what? Trip over their own two feet?"

Gold pulled them along. "We must keep going. Firestorm, what are you doing?"

The Pokémon seemed to be looking for something. "Firestorm?"

The Quilava seemed to snap out of it. He turned, made a barking sound, and ran past them. Gold chased after. "What is it?"

Firestorm led them to a quick-growing shrub like she and Silver had seen in the Ilex Forest. He quickly shredded it with Cut and ran into a small clearing in the nearby woods.

Suicune stood there, looking startled. It ran towards the group. Gold, who was in front, fell backwards, taking Silver and Alice down with her. Suicune then turned and ran even further down the Route until it could not be seen.

Alice frowned. "Suicune's here, which means-"

Eusine showed up. "Suicune… how brave it is!"

Alice sighed. "He is, too."

Gold got up. "Eusine. Are you just going to stalk Suicune for the rest of your life?"

Eusine nodded. "It's so beautiful, so refreshing… why wouldn't someone want to stalk it for all of their life?"

"Perhaps you should get some photos or something," Gold murmured.

Eusine turned on her. "YOU! You are the so called 'being of legend' or whatever! The beasts always seem to congregate around you!"

Gold coughed and looked around. "I haven't seen Raikou and Entei since…"

Eusine shook his head. "Who cares about those others! Suicune always appears near you. Well, that's perfectly fine!"

Gold cocked her head to the side. "It… is?"

Eusine nodded again. "My desire to search for Suicune is way beyond yours! My grandfather was always entrenched in myths… so I heard so many stories from him."

"Did we ask?" Silver commented exasperatedly.

Eusine dramatically raised his arms to the sky. "Suicune! I will not stop following you! I will know what you're looking for! YOU HEAR ME?" He ran after where Suicune had gone.

Alice stood up. "I think… I think he needs to rethink his life."

Silver only shrugged. "If it makes him happy, I guess."

"Do you think he's right? Do you think the legendary beasts appear around me a lot?"

The other two shook their heads. Alice put a hand to her chin. "Maybe you're just lucky." _I really doubt that's it, though._

* * *

><p>After fighting through a fisherman, a maniac of some sort, and a hiker, they finally arrived in Mahogany. The place had a rustic feeling to it. There were several people walking around and talking to each other. No one spoke in anything louder than a whisper. It was only due to that that the three could hear the strange noise, like someone was pounding on the side of the town. The ground quaked very slightly.<p>

Alice examined the general aura of the town and found everyone to be suspicious and panicked. "I'm… not sure what's going on, but this doesn't seem to be… the friendliest of places."

Gold read a rickety sign posted in a small corner. "Home of the ninja. I don't see any ninja…"

Silver nodded. "If you saw them, they wouldn't be very good ninja, would they?"

They walked further into the town. The general quiet of everyone made the three want to whisper to each other. Silver pointed. "The Pokémon Center seems to be closed. The Gym as well. And this… wait. What?"

There was a simple little building with a sign on its door. "Just a souvenir shop. Nothing suspicious about it, no need to be alarmed."

Alice frowned. "Is it ironic that those words make me very alarmed?"

Silver shook his head. "I know what that means. It means that we have some 'legitimate businessmen' in town. It's likely that this is Pryce's base."

Gold opened the door and marched in. Pryce wasn't in the room, but two others were. A man with a bushy mustache and glasses looked up. "Oh… hi?"

Alice hesitated. "Do you… hear wind blowing into the room?"

Silver listened. "Sort of, yes."

The mustache man scratched his head. "That is… just me whistling."

Gold smiled. "Okay, if you say so, Mr. Whistler."

The man pulled out three items: a Pokéball, a Potion, and a mushroom. "Do you want to buy any of these?"

Gold, amused at the inferior items, shook her head and turned around. "No. Not really. I'll come back if I do, though."

As they were exiting, Gold could've sworn that the other man mumbled, "…worked like a charm."

* * *

><p>Pryce watched the three exit the souvenir shop. "Do you understand what's going on, my dear?"<p>

One of his lackeys, a girl named Jill, faltered, then said, "No, not really."

Pryce walked away from the Gym window, leaning on his cane. "Team Rocket is here, hiding in that little shop, no? And we cannot get rid of them. We just don't have that many resources."

Jill nodded. "I still don't get it."

Pryce sighed. "We don't want to be in war with the Rockets. So, since this Gold has a heart of good and whatever, I'll just let him crash their operations. Don't you think that would make him happy?"

Jill smiled tentatively. "Of course, Mr. Pryce."

Pryce smiled back. "I am, above all things, an excellent host."

* * *

><p>A balding man who threw candy at them blocked their way East, so Gold, Silver, and Alice turned North instead.<p>

Silver rubbed his face where a RAGECANDYBAR hit him. "I don't understand this deal with Gym Leaders who aren't in their Gyms. I mean, why put out a challenge if they're not going to follow through with it?"

"I suppose they have their reasons," Alice said indifferently.

Gold looked at her Pokégear. "What is the 'Lake of Rage?' The map has its name, but no information."

"Beats me, I'm from Kanto," Alice offered unhelpfully.

"I don't know what that place is," Silver said.

Gold stiffened as a drop of water hit her face. "What… it's raining. And the trembling is getting louder."

The rain got progressively worse and worse until they got to the lake. Several people were murmuring and staring out over the water.

Gold walked up to them. "What's going on?"

A lady in a pink shirt and suspenders turned to her. "I… I th-think I saw… it was…"

A man in a neat suit turned to her as well. "I saw it too. The Gyarados are rampaging, and in the middle of them… a red Gyarados."

An old man pointed. "The Gyarados are the ones causing all of this rain and wind. I don't know what's driving them crazy, but…"

Silver seemed confused. "Aren't Gyarados usually blue?"

Alice nodded. "I think these people must be seeing things."

Gold tried to peer through the storm, but could only see vague shapes. "There's only one way to find out."

Silver tried to stop her. "There's no reason to get involved with this. We should be waiting in town for the Gym to open. Not heading out into a rampaging herd of Gyarados!"

Gold smiled calmly. "Any other time, I'd agree with you. But something weird is going on around here. Why is this happening? More importantly, why isn't anything else important happening?" She sent out Silver's Krabby. "Besides, I'd like a water-type Pokémon to ride on, rather than drag behind."

As Gold got dragged out, Alice grimaced. "Silver? You know something?"

Silver nodded. "Yeah. I know quite a few things."

"I think I love him."

"No duh, Einstein. Why are you telling me about it?"

* * *

><p>Gold shrugged off the discomfort of the water and rain. <em>There was an antenna sticking out of the tree near that shop. Its radio was making a weird noise. If I'm not mistaken, Pryce is using some sort of radio waves to make the Pokémon go crazy.<em>

A large number of Gyarados swam in a peculiar dance near the center of the lake. A bit of lightning illuminated them, showing five blue ones and a single, larger, red one.

Gold pulled out a Net Ball, something that Kurt had given her.

The Gyarados took little time to notice her. The red Gyarados roared, and the blue ones seemed to obey. They swarmed at her, pushing waves out. Gold quickly jumped up onto one, returning Krabby. She pulled out Trigger's ball. "I need you to deliver the biggest bolt of… ah!" The Gyarados swerved, then dove. Gold let go, swimming back up to the surface and continuing. "…Lightning to the red one! Go, Trigger!"

The red Gyarados used Twister, spinning the water into a waterspout. Trigger jumped into it, charging up her wool.

The other Gyarados were occupied with Gold, who was using Star to fly around and over them in increasingly dangerous maneuvers.

The red Gyarados reached forwards and bit down on Trigger, who grunted in pain and released a positive electrical charge. It interacted greatly with the electricity in the clouds, pulling down a lightning bolt greater than anything Trigger would've been able to do by herself. The Gyarados leader bellowed in pain and started to fall, paralyzed.

Quickly, Gold threw the Net Ball with all of the force she could muster. With such a large target, she couldn't miss. In the air, the ball twitched several times before clicking.

Gold sighed in relief… and nearly got eaten by one of the blue Gyarados. She yelled loudly and kicked off of it, nearly causing Star to spin out of control. Noticing Trigger falling, she yelled for Star to go down.

The blue Gyarados, leaderless, decided it was lunch time. They moved in and out of the sea and decreased the distance between them and Gold.

Gold managed to catch Trigger, and then got hit in the head by the Net Ball, which she clumsily yet successfully grabbed.

The Gyarados were almost upon her, and she couldn't return Trigger without letting go of Star… On top of all that, the weight of both Trigger and Gold was too much for the still rather diminutive Star. They started to fall…_ Maybe this was not the best plan I've ever had…_

* * *

><p>Back on shore, Alice and Silver watched as a rather large bolt of lightning penetrated the middle of the lake. Silver breathed, realizing that he had been unconsciously holding his breath. "This is ridiculous."<p>

"I agree."

The two turned around to see a young, rather grim-faced red-haired man watching. He was wearing some dark red and blue clothing with a black cape. "I saw your friend go out there. He is either really brave or really foolish."

Silver snorted. "I'm of the opinion that he's the latter."

The man smiled softly. "It is nice to meet you. I am Lance."

Alice frowned. The name seemed familiar for some reason. "It's nice to meet you too. I'm Alice, and this is Silver."

Lance stopped smiling and turned to the lake. "The Gyarados are not acting right. I fear that someone is forcing the Magikarp to evolve prematurely. It is making them rage."

"Is that what's going on?" Alice asked.

"Yes. Are you not here because of the wild tales?"

"No, we're mostly here because of Gold."

"Who is Gold?"

Gold took the moment to land right in the middle of them.

Lance didn't flinch. He merely walked forwards and helped Gold up. "Are you alright, young man?"

Gold, dazed, had no idea what was going on. "Who are you?"

"I am Lance, a trainer like you."

Gold gasped and turned to her Pokémon, returning them quickly. Firestorm, who had remained with his trainer's friends, barked, ran up to her, and licked her. "Oh, hi. Yeah, I'm alright. I'm alright."

Lance's eyes seemed to narrow at the sight. "Anyways, I was just coming through and heard the rumbling, so I came up here to investigate. Imagine my surprise when I saw you battling the Gyarados in their home, in the worst of conditions."

Gold's head snapped up. "You could see?"

Lance nodded. "I have had to see through worse conditions. I can tell that you have much skill. If you do not mind, would you help me to investigate the source of the Gyarados' rage?"

Gold thought about it, but didn't see why not. "Sure. I think it was Pryce."

Lance chuckled. "This is not his style. He respects the environment and would not force Magikarp to evolve. Although the signal that is causing them to _is_ coming from Mahogany…"

Gold frowned. "Who else could it have been?"

Lance sent out a Dragonite. "I do not know, but I am sure that it is coming from that souvenir shop. I will see you there." He jumped on the Dragonite's back and flew towards the town.

Silver turned to Gold. "You know what I say about strength? _That's _someone who's strong."

Gold's eyebrow raised. "Oh, really? What makes him so—darn it. Lyra's calling again…"

* * *

><p><strong>I do not understand this part of the game. For no obvious reason, you have to go out into the middle of a stormy lake that everyone tells you is filled with Gyarados and capture the biggest, meanest one. It's only afterwards that Lance tells you why you did that… and there's no way around it to Blackthorn because of the idiot who throws RAGECANDYBARS at you for $300. <strong>

**It gives hints like the weird tree and the radio signal, but you have no clue what they mean. Everyone mentions the lake, but you have no clue why. Not until Lance. At least you get a shiny out of it.**

**That and Lyra calling every five minutes about her Marill are some of the most weird, random moments of the game.**

**Gold got herself a water-type that she can ride, in any case.**


End file.
